Rock Creek (Clarks Fork Yellowstone River)
| Rock Creek | ||
 View from the Beartooth Highway (US-212) of the upper Rock Creek valley |
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| Data | ||
| Water code | US : 789684 | |
| location | Montana , Wyoming (USA) | |
| River system | Mississippi River | |
| Drain over | Clarks Fork Yellowstone River → Yellowstone → Missouri → Mississippi → Gulf of Mexico | |
| Headwaters | Sheep Lake on the northeast flank of the Beartooth Mountains ( Rocky Mountains ) 45 ° 1 ′ 2 ″ N , 109 ° 33 ′ 27 ″ W |
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| Source height | 3057 m | |
| muzzle |
Clarks Fork Yellowstone River Coordinates: 45 ° 31 ′ 37 " N , 108 ° 49 ′ 21" W 45 ° 31 ′ 37 " N , 108 ° 49 ′ 21" W |
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| Mouth height | 1037 m | |
| Height difference | 2020 m | |
| Bottom slope | approx. 20 ‰ | |
| length | approx. 100 km | |
| Catchment area | 1463 km² | |
| Discharge at the Rockvale A Eo gauge : 1463 km² Location: 4 km above the mouth |
MQ 1985/1990 Mq 1985/1990 |
4.3 m³ / s 2.9 l / (s km²) |
| Left tributaries | Red Lodge Creek | |
| Right tributaries | Lake Fork, West Fork Rock Creek | |
| Reservoirs flowed through | Glacier Lake | |
| Small towns | Red Lodge | |
| Communities | Joliet , Rockvale | |
The Rock Creek is an approximately 100 km long left tributary of the Clarks Fork Yellowstone River in the US states of Montana and Wyoming .
River course
The Rock Creek has its origin in the 3057 m high Sheep Lake on the northeast flank of the Beartooth Mountains , a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains , in the central south of Montana not far from the border with Wyoming. The Rock Creek initially flows east to Glacier Lake , which is dammed by a dam built by the US Army Corps of Engineers . A few meters below the dam, the river runs for 3 miles within the Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming. Rock Creek turns northeast and returns to Custer National Forest in Montana. After another 10 km, US Highway 212 coming from the south meets the river valley and follows the river to just before its mouth. The south-leading section of road that ends at Cooke City-Silver Gate is also known as the Beartooth Highway . The Rock Creek flows through the small town of Red Lodge , which is also the administrative seat of Carbon County . Rock Creek flows north-northeast for about 35 km below Red Lodge, before Red Lodge Creek flows into the river when coming from the west. This flows for its last 22 km in the east-northeast direction. He passes the places Joliet and Rockvale . Finally, the Rock Creek flows 4 km east of Rockvale into the Clarks Fork Yellowstone River. The Rock Creek runs through Countys Park in Wyoming and Carbon in Montana.
Hydrology
The Rock Creek drains an area of 1463 km². The mean discharge at the gauge at Rockvale, 4 km above the estuary, is 4.3 m³ / s. The river carries the most water during the snowmelt in June with a monthly mean of 11.9 m³ / s.
