Tinker Creek (East Branch Tunkhannock Creek tributary)

Tinker Creek is a tributary of East Branch Tunkhannock Creek in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 4.3 miles (6.9 km) long and flows through Clifford Township. The watershed of the creek has an area of 5.02 square miles (13.0 km2). The creek is not designated as an impaired waterbody and has no named tributaries. It is classified as Class A Wild Trout Waters.

Tinker Creek
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationunnamed lake near Lackawanna Mountain in Clifford Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania
 • elevation1,899 feet (579 m)
Mouth 
 • location
East Branch Tunkhannock Creek in Clifford Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania near Elkdale
 • coordinates
41°40′57″N 75°33′12″W
 • elevation
1,194 feet (364 m)
Length4.3 miles (6.9 km)
Basin size5.02 square miles (13.0 km2)
Basin features
ProgressionEast Branch Tunkhannock Creek → Tunkhannock Creek → Susquehanna River → Chesapeake Bay
Tributaries 
 • leftone unnamed tributary
 • rightone unnamed tributary

Course

Tinker Creek begins in an unnamed lake near Lackawanna Mountain in Clifford Township. It flows south-southwest for a few tenths of a mile before turning west and entering a wetland. Here, the creek turns north for several tenths of a mile before receiving an unnamed tributary from the right and turning west-northwest. After a few tenths of a mile, it receives an unnamed tributary from the left and turns north-northwest for several tenths of a mile before heading in a westerly direction for more than a mile. The creek then turns northwest, and after a short distance, reaches its confluence with East Branch Tunkhannock Creek.[1]

Tinker Creek is approximately 4.3 miles (6.9 km) long.[1] The creek joins East Branch Tunkhannock Creek 11.80 miles (18.99 km) upstream of its mouth.[2]

Hydrology

Tinker Creek is not designated as an impaired waterbody.[3] The alkalinity concentration of the creek is 28 milligrams per liter (0.028 oz/cu ft).[4]

Geography and geology

The elevation near the mouth of Tinker Creek is 1,194 feet (364 m) above sea level.[5] The elevation near the creek's source is 1,899 feet (579 m) above sea level.[1]

The surficial geology along Tinker Creek in its lower reaches mainly includes a till known as Wisconsnain Till. Further upstream, the surficial geology along the creek consists mostly of alluvium, though there are various patches of Wisconsinnan Till, Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Stratified Drift, wetlands, lakes, and bedrock consisting of sandstone and shale. In the upper reaches, the surficial geology is mostly Wisconsinan Till, with some alluvium and wetland.[6]

Tinker Creek has been described as a small creek.[7]

Watershed

The watershed of Tinker Creek has an area of 5.02 square miles (13.0 km2).[2] The mouth of the creek is in the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Clifford. However, its source is in the quadrangle of Forest City.[5] The creek's mouth is located within 1 mile (1.6 km) of Elkdale.[2]

The designated use for Tinker Creek is aquatic life.[3]

History

Tinker Creek was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1189583. The creek is also known as Tinker Brook.[5] This variant name appears in a 1981 map of Susquehanna County created by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.[8]

In around 1800, David Burns settled near Tinker Creek on a road leading to Belmont. In about 1802, three brothers named Abner, Daniel, and Lemuel Norton settled near a road crossing the creek.[7]

A steel stringer/multi-beam or girder bridge carrying State Route 2012 over Tinker Creek was built in Clifford Township in 1941 and is 37.1 feet (11.3 m) long.[9] In 2013, this bridge was slated to be given a weight restriction of 25 tons (or 34 tons for combination loads).[10]

Biology

Wild trout naturally reproduce in Tinker Creek from its upper reaches downstream to its mouth.[11] The creek is classified by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission as Class A Wild Trout Waters for brook trout from its upper reaches downstream to its mouth.[4]

The drainage basin of Tinker Creek is classified as a Coldwater Fishery. However, its existing use is as a High-Quality Coldwater Fishery.[12]

See also

References
  1. United States Geological Survey, The National Map Viewer, retrieved August 2, 2016
  2. Pennsylvania Gazetteer of Streams (PDF), November 2, 2001, p. 141, retrieved August 2, 2016
  3. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2006 Waterbody Report for Tinker Creek, retrieved August 2, 2016
  4. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (July 2016), Class A Wild Trout Waters (PDF), p. 28, retrieved August 2, 2016
  5. Geographic Names Information System, Feature Detail Report for: Tinker Creek, retrieved August 2, 2016
  6. Duane D. Braun (2008), Surficial geology of the Clifford 7.5-minute quadrangle, Susquehanna and Lackawanna Counties, Pennsylvania, p. 14, retrieved August 2, 2016
  7. Emily C. Blackman (1873), History of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, pp. 386, 388, retrieved August 2, 2016
  8. Geographic Names Information System, Variant Citation, retrieved August 2, 2016
  9. Susquehanna County, retrieved August 2, 2016
  10. Kyle Wind (August 29, 2013), "PennDOT starts posting bridges, causing worries about inconvenience, higher prices and public safety", Time Times Tribune, retrieved August 2, 2016
  11. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (July 2016), Pennsylvania Wild Trout Waters (Natural Reproduction) - July 2016 (PDF), p. 87, retrieved August 2, 2016
  12. Statewide Existing Use Classifications Susquehanna County (PDF), July 10, 2013, p. 7, retrieved August 2, 2016
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