Kuskokwim River

Kuskokwim River
Bethel on an arm of the Kuskokwim River
Data
Water code	US :  1416402
location	Alaska ( USA )
River system	Kuskokwim River
Confluence of	East Fork and North Fork Kuskokwim Rivers at Medra 63 ° 6 ′ 34 ″  N , 154 ° 34 ′ 3 ″  W
Source height	114  m
muzzle	Kuskokwim Bay ( Bering Sea ) coordinates: 60 ° 4 '59 "  N , 162 ° 20' 2"  W 60 ° 4 '59 "  N , 162 ° 20' 2"  W
Mouth height	0  m
Height difference	114 m
Bottom slope	0.1 ‰
length	1165 km
Catchment area	124,000 km²
Outflow at the level at the mouth	MQ	1900 m³ / s
Left tributaries	South Fork Kuskokwim River , Middle Fork Kuskokwim River , Swift River , Stony River , Holitna River , Aniak River , Kwethluk River
Right tributaries	Takotna River , Johnson River , George River
Small towns	Bethel
Communities	McGrath , Stony River , Sleetmute , Chuathbaluk , Aniak , Kalskag , Tuluksak , Akiak , Kwethluk
Course and catchment area of ​​the Kuskokwim River

North Fork Kuskokwim River
Water code	US :  1407183
location	Alaska ( USA )
River system	Kuskokwim River
Drain over	Kuskokwim River → Bering Sea
source	approx. 60 km south of the Tanana River estuary in the Kuskokwim Mountains 64 ° 18 ′ 57 ″  N , 151 ° 30 ′ 59 ″  W
Source height	approx.  600  m
Association with	East Fork Kuskokwim River to Kuskokwim River , 8 km east of Medra 63 ° 6 ′ 34 ″  N , 154 ° 34 ′ 3 ″  W
Mouth height	114  m
Height difference	approx. 486 m
Bottom slope	approx. 1.4 ‰
length	340 km
Left tributaries	Swift Fork

East Fork Kuskokwim River
Water code	US :  1401595
location	Alaska ( USA )
River system	Kuskokwim River
Drain over	Kuskokwim River → Bering Sea
Confluence of	Slow Fork and Tonzona River 63 ° 13 ′ 31 ″  N , 153 ° 44 ′ 37 ″  W.
Source height	163  m
Association with	North Fork Kuskokwim River to Kuskokwim River 63 ° 6 ′ 34 ″  N , 154 ° 34 ′ 3 ″  W
Mouth height	118  m
Height difference	45 m
Bottom slope	0.63 ‰
length	71 km

South Fork Kuskokwim River
Water code	US :  1409932
location	Alaska ( USA )
River system	Kuskokwim River
Drain over	Kuskokwim River → Bering Sea
Headwaters	NE slope of Snowcap Mountain in the Alaska range 61 ° 33 ′ 41 ″  N , 153 ° 32 ′ 51 ″  W
Source height	approx.  1000  m
muzzle	Kuskokwim River 63 ° 5 ′ 16 "  N , 154 ° 38 ′ 44"  W.
Mouth height	114  m
Height difference	approx. 886 m
Bottom slope	approx. 4 ‰
length	approx. 220 km
Left tributaries	Hartman River, Post River
Right tributaries	Tatina River , Dillinger River , Jones River, Styx River, Little Tonzona River
Communities	Nikolai

Middle Fork Kuskokwim River
Water code	US :  1406299
location	Alaska ( USA )
River system	Kuskokwim River
Drain over	Kuskokwim River → Bering Sea
Headwaters	Alaska chain 62 ° 7 ′ 31 ″  N , 154 ° 24 ′ 40 ″  W.
Source height	approx.  1200  m
muzzle	Kuskokwim River 62 ° 59 ′ 6 "  N , 154 ° 58 ′ 5"  W.
Mouth height	107  m
Height difference	approx. 1093 m
Bottom slope	approx. 7.8 ‰
length	approx. 140 km
Left tributaries	Big River
Right tributaries	Windy Fork Middle Fork Kuskokwim River, Pitka Fork Middle Fork Kuskokwim River

Windy Fork Middle Fork Kuskokwim River
Water code	US :  1412176
location	Alaska ( USA )
River system	Kuskokwim River
Drain over	Middle Fork Kuskokwim River  → Kuskokwim River  → Bering Sea
Headwaters	Alaska range 61 ° 59 ′ 51 ″  N , 153 ° 58 ′ 3 ″  W.
Source height	approx.  1200  m
muzzle	Middle Fork Kuskokwim River 62 ° 45 '36 "  N , 154 ° 37' 50"  W.
Mouth height	137  m
Height difference	approx. 1063 m
Bottom slope	approx. 9.7 ‰
length	approx. 110 km

The 1165 km long Kuskokwim River is a large river in southwest Alaska .

The river arises about eight kilometers east of Medra through the confluence of the North Fork Kuskokwim River (Dichinanek ') and East Fork Kuskokwim River (Ch'idotl'ułno'), on the northern flank of the Alaska Range in central Alaska , drains large parts of the north of this Mountain range and empties into the Bering Sea on the west coast in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta , one of the largest river delta systems on earth . With the exception of the headwaters, the river is flat and wide along its entire course. It is the longest non-dam regulated river in the United States.

Other headwaters of the Kuskokwim River that meet it a few kilometers downstream of its formation are the Middle Fork Kuskokwim River and South Fork Kuskokwim River (Edzeno '). Shortly before its mouth, the Middle Fork flows into the Windy Fork Middle Fork Kuskokwim River (Tohwdechohno ') from the right and the Big River from the left .

The main route of the Iditarod Trail follows the South Fork of the Kuskokwim from the Alaska range and crosses the river at McGrath .

Surname

The name of the natives of Alaska for the river was found out in 1818 by Ustiugow and published in 1826 by Lieutenant Sarichew of the Imperial Russian Navy as Ryka Kuskokvim . The name of the tanana for the river was Chin-ana , but it is now dying out and only used by ancient Indians.

In the Central Alaskan Yup'ik language , the river is called Kusquqvak . The name refers to a large, slowly moving "thing".

Hydrology

The Kuskokwim River ranks ninth among the rivers in the United States with a discharge rate of 1900 m³ / s and seventeenth with a catchment area of 124,000 km², almost 10% of the land area of ​​Alaska. It's also the longest river in the United States that runs entirely within a state, followed by the Trinity River in Texas , which is roughly 14 miles shorter.

course

The river has its origins in several bodies of water in central and southern central Alaska. The approximately 400 km long North Fork rises in the Kuskokwim Mountains , about 320 km west-southwest of Fairbanks and flows in a wide valley to the southwest. The approximately 320 km long South Fork rises in the southwestern end of the Alaska range west of Mount Gerdine and flows in a north-northwest direction through the mountains, past Nikolai . The southern arm receives tributaries that flow from the Alaska range northwest of Denali . Both arms unite near Medfra and then flow to the southwest of McGrath over, in a remote valley with the Kuskokwim Mountains to the north and the Alaska Range in the south.

In the southwest of Alaska, the river emerges from the Kuskokwim Mountains onto a plain south of the Yukon River , which is overgrown by spruce forests. The river passes a number of Inuit settlements, including Aniak, and approaches the Yukon River within 50 miles before swiveling to the southwest. Southwest of Bethel , the largest settlement along the river, the river widens into a swampy delta and flows into the Kuskokwim about 80 km south-southwest of Bethel. The course of the river lies below Aniak within the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge .

Tributaries

The river has a number of major tributaries, mostly from the south. Among them are the Big River , which empties about 30 km southwest of Medfra. At the southern end of the Kuskokwim Mountains, the Swift , Stony and Holitna Rivers also unite with the river before it exits the coastal plain. He also records the Aniak River at Aniak . The Kisaralik and Kwethluk Rivers flow approximately 30 km upstream from Bethel . The Eek River joins an arm of the Kuskokwim River west of Eek . The Eenayarak River , formerly a tributary of the Eek River, now flows directly into the Kuskokwim River.

See also

• List of the longest rivers on earth
• Yukon-Kuskokwim Portage

literature

• Geographic Society, Alaska; Rennick, Penny: Kuskokwim (Alaska Geographic) . Alaska Northwest Books, Anchorage 1988, ISBN 0-88240-187-4 (English).

Web links

Commons : Kuskokwim River  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Kuskokwim River Watershed Council
• Iditarod National Historic Trail

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} North Fork Kuskokwim River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} USGS - Water Fact Sheet - Largest Rivers in the United States (PDF file; 648 kB)
3. ↑ ^{a b} East Fork Kuskokwim River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
4. ↑ South Fork Kuskokwim River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
5. ↑ Middle Fork Kuskokwim River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
6. ↑ Windy Fork Middle Fork Kuskokwim River in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
7. ↑ Kuskokwim River ( English ) In: Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved October 25, 2010.
8. ↑ Largest Rivers in the United States ( English , PDF) United States Geological Survey . Retrieved October 25, 2010.