The Little Tuya River is a tributary of the Tuya River in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada.[1][7] It flows generally south and east about 71 km (44 mi)[5] to join the Tuya River near Cariboo Meadows.[8] The Little Tuya River's watershed covers 569 km2 (220 sq mi),[6] and its mean annual discharge is an estimated 6.69 m3/s (236 cu ft/s).[6]
| Little Tuya River | |
|---|---|
  Mouth of Little Tuya River | |
| Location | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| District | Cassiar Land District |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Level Mountain |
| • location | Nahlin Plateau |
| • coordinates | 58°29′31″N 131°22′4″W / 58.49194°N 131.36778°W[3] |
| • elevation | 1,820 m (5,970 ft)[4][2] |
| Mouth | Tuya River |
• coordinates | 58°14′21″N 130°43′3″W / 58.23917°N 130.71750°W[1][2] |
• elevation | 500 m (1,600 ft)[4] |
| Length | 71 km (44 mi)[5] |
| Basin size | 569 km2 (220 sq mi),[6] |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 6.69 m3/s (236 cu ft/s)[6] |
| Basin features | |
| Topo maps | NTS 104J6 Beatty Creek NTS 104J7 Little Tuya River |
The mouth of the Little Tuya River is located about 45 km (28 mi) northeast of Telegraph Creek, British Columbia, about 48 km (30 mi) west-southwest of Dease Lake, British Columbia, and about 215 km (134 mi) east of Juneau, Alaska. The river's watershed's land cover is classified as 37.8% shrubland, 28.8% conifer forest, 14.6% mixed forest, 9.2% barren, and small amounts of other cover.[6]
The Little Tuya River was named in association with the Tuya RIver. A tuya is a geologic term for a flat-topped, steep-sided volcano formed when lava erupts through a thick glacier or ice sheet. The geologic term comes from Tuya Butte, which was named in association with Tuya Lake.[9] The term may come from the Tahltan language.[10]
The Little Tuya River is in the traditional territory of the Tahltan First Nation, of the Tahltan people.[11][12]
Geography
editThe Little Tuya River originates on the east side of the massive Level Mountain shield volcano, near the headwaters of the Koshin River, Beatty Creek, and Matsatu Creek, and about 4.5 km (2.8 mi) east of Meszah Peak, the highest peak of the Level Mountain Range, a cluster of bare peaks on the summit of Level Mountain.
The river flows south and east, first through Level Mountain's high and relatively barren lava plateau, then through rugged forested terrain. Its lower course flows through rugged forested terrain, where it is joined by its main tributary, Mansfield Creek.[13] The Little Tuya RIver empties into the Tuya River near the abandoned settlement of Cariboo Meadows.[2][14]
Geology
editCoal has been found in rocks exposed in the drainage of the Little Tuya River and Mansfield Creek between the communities of Dease Lake and Telegraph Creek in northwestern BC. The coal was first discovered in 1904, but the main exploration of its economic potential occurred in the 1980s to 1990s.[15]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Little Tuya River". BC Geographical Names.
- ^ a b c "Toporama (on-line map and search)". Atlas of Canada. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
- ^ Derived from BCGNIS, topographic maps, and Toporama
- ^ a b Elevation derived from ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model, using GeoLocator, BCGNIS coordinates, and topographic maps.
- ^ a b Length measured using BCGNIS coordinates, topographic maps, and Toporama
- ^ a b c d e "Northwest Water Tool". BC Water Tool. GeoBC, Integrated Land Management Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Government of British Columbia. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
- ^ "Little Tuya River". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
- ^ "Cariboo Meadows". BC Geographical Names.
- ^ "Tuya Butte". BC Geographical Names.
- ^ "Tuya Lake". BC Geographical Names.
- ^ "Our Territory". Tahltan Central Government. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
- ^ "Dah Ki Mi — "Our House"". Tahltan Band Council. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "Mansfield Creek". BC Geographical Names.
- ^ Mussio, Russell; Mussio, Wesley (2018). Northern BC Backroad Mapbook. Mussio Ventures. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-926806-87-7. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
- ^ Ryan, B.D. 1991. Geology and Potential Coal and Coalbed Methane Resource of the Tuya River Coal Basin; in Geological Fieldwork 1990, B.C. Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, Paper 1991-1, pp. 419-427.