Lake Minchumina (lake)

Lake Minchumina
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Geographical location	Alaska (USA)
Tributaries	Foraker River , Deep Creek
Drain	Muddy River
Places on the shore	Lake Minchumina
Data
Coordinates	63 ° 54 ′  N , 152 ° 14 ′  W Coordinates: 63 ° 54 ′  N , 152 ° 14 ′  W
Altitude above sea level	196  m
surface	50.53 km²
length	12 km
width	6.5 km
Maximum depth	12 m

The Lake Minchumina is a lake in Alaska (USA).

geography

The 5053 ha large and maximally 12 m deep lake is located at an altitude of 196  m on the north-western edge of the Tanana-Kuskokwim lowlands, not far from the foothills of the Kuskokwim Mountains . The Denali National Preserve begins south of the lake . The Alaska range in the south rises at a distance of 80 km. To the west of the lake are the Snohomish Hills . The lake is surrounded by flat swamp and coniferous forest areas.

Hydrology

The most important tributary is the Foraker River , which is fed by several glaciers in the Alaska range and flows into the lake on the southeastern bank. Another tributary is the Deep Creek , which drains a marsh landscape southwest of the lake. The Muddy River , a tributary of the Tanana River , leaves the lake on the southeast bank of Lake Minchumina . The lake has undergone several changes in the past. For example, the water level fell as a result of earthquakes in the region. The Foraker River repeatedly changes its course south of the lake, so that part of the sediment-rich river water flows into the lake, while the rest of the water flows past the lake directly into the Muddy River. The sediments lead to clouding of the water and to silting up of lake areas and consequently to a decline in the fish population in the lake. In the summer months, the lake's water level is higher than in winter due to the melting of snow and glaciers. In the winter months the lake surface is frozen.

use

The lake used to be on an important transport route that connected the catchment area of ​​the Tanana River with that of the Kuskokwim River . An approximately 10 km long Portage Route led from the lake west to the upper reaches of the North Fork Kuskokwim River . The settlement of the same name, Lake Minchumina, is located on the west bank of the lake . There is an airfield there. The settlement and the lake are not connected to the road network. In the past, when the population was still largely made up of the indigenous population, the lake was an important part of their subsistence economy . Herring vendace , pike , burbot and the sucker carp Catostomus catostomus (English Longnose sucker ) are caught in the lake for personal consumption or to be fed to sled dogs.

Web links

• Lake Minchumina in the United States Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System
• lakepedia.com

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} James D. Hall: Overview of Environmental and Hydrogeologic Conditions at Lake Minchumina and Skwentna, Alaska (PDF, 8.4 MB) US Geological Survey & Federal Aviation Administration. 1995. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Liz Williams, Chelsie Venechuk, Davin L. Holen & William E. Simeone: Lake Minchumina, Telida, Nikolai, and Cantwell Subsistence Community Use Profiles and Traditional Fisheries Use (PDF, 3.3 MB) Alaska Department of Fish and Game. April 2005. Retrieved November 16, 2017.