Meherrin River

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Meherrin River
The Meherrin River

The Meherrin River

Data
Water code US :  1025518
location Virginia , North Carolina (USA)
River system Chowan River
Drain over Chowan River  → Albemarle Sound  → Atlantic Ocean
Confluence of the North, Middel and South Fork Meherrin Rivers 16 km northwest of Chase City
36 ° 49 ′ 12 ″  N , 78 ° 16 ′ 33 ″  W
Association with Chowan River to Albemarle Sound Coordinates: 36 ° 25 ′ 54 "  N , 76 ° 56 ′ 53"  W 36 ° 25 ′ 54 "  N , 76 ° 56 ′ 53"  W

length 148 km

The Meherrin River is a 148 km long river located in Virginia and North Carolina in the eastern United States . It arises from the confluence of the North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork of the Meherrin River 16 km northwest of the city of Chase City , flows east-southeast, crosses the North Carolina border and flows into the Chowan River at Murfreesboro . A dam at Emporia creates a reservoir that serves as a water reservoir .

The valley of the Meherrin River was created in its present form in the last Ice Age around 20,000 years ago. During the Ice Age, the continental ice sheets were locked in by large amounts of sea water and this caused the sea level to drop dramatically. The beaches and coastal plains of the North American east coast stretched more than 160 km eastwards compared to today and the continental shelf presented itself as dry land. As the sea level fell, the gradient of the Meherrin and the neighboring rivers increased considerably and they cut deeply into the surface of the earth. The large ice floes and glaciers never reached southern Virginia and North Carolina, but the steep banks on the upper reaches of the Meherrin show the effects of the last ice age.

The Meherrin River is one of the five rivers that drain the Piedmont and the coastal plains of southern Virginia and northern North Carolina, namely the Blackwater , Nottoway , Meherrin, Chowan, and Roanoke Rivers . All mentioned rivers flow into the Albemarle Sound and belong to a group of bodies of water, as black water rivers are known (Blackwater River). The black water rivers have a deep river bed and slowly flowing water that meanders through the tree-lined piedmont and the marshy coastal plain . The black color is caused by chemical compounds known as tannins, which are formed from leached plant debris. The result is a transparent, slightly acidic, dark water that is reminiscent of tea or coffee.

The Meherrin River is formed from the confluence of three headwaters, the North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork. All three source rivers have their source in eastern Charlotte County . The Meherrin River flows east-southeast through the Piedmont and crosses Mecklenburg and Lunenburg Counties and the fall line at Emporia. Then the river meanders in the coastal plain through Brunswick, Greensville and Southampton Counties in Virginia. In Hertford County, North Carolina, it unites with the Nottoway and Blackwater Rivers and forms the Chowan River, which flows into the Albemarle Sound.

The Meherrin River was named after the Meherrin Indians who made their home on this river. The Iroquois- speaking small tribe was officially recognized as the Meherrin Indian Tribe by the State of North Carolina in 1986 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ GNIS Meherrin River. Retrieved November 23, 2016 .
  2. ↑ a b c About the Meherrin River. Retrieved November 23, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Meherrin Indian Tribe. Retrieved November 23, 2016 .