Elk River (Alberta) Explained
| Elk River |
| Source1 Location: | Elk River headwaters |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 52.9367°N -116.4261°W |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 52.9506°N -115.7114°W |
| Subdivision Type2: | Location |
| Subdivision Name2: | Alberta |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | Canada |
| Source1 Elevation: | 1372m (4,501feet) |
| Mouth Elevation: | 976m (3,202feet) |
The Elk River is a short river rising in the eastern portion of the Alberta foothills. The river begins south of the ghost town of Coalspur and heads east before draining into the Brazeau Reservoir created by the Brazeau Dam on the Brazeau River, a tributary of the North Saskatchewan River.
The river follows the Elk River Road for much of its course. The Elk River Provincial Recreation Area is also located on the river.[1]
Physical characteristics
Alberta Environment, a Ministry of the Government of Alberta, undertook a survey of the Elk River in the 1980s. The following data was generated from the survey:[2]
Reach number 1
- Terrain Surrounding Valley: Rolling hills, ground moraine
Valley characteristics
- Description: Wide, stream cut valley
- Terraces: 2 fragmentary levels
Valley Flat
River Channel
Reach number 2
- Terrain surrounding valley: Rolling hills, ground moraine
Valley characteristics
- Description: Broad glacial spillway channel now occupied by a smaller underfit stream
- Terraces: None
Valley flat
River channel
- Pattern: Irregular to tortuous meanders
- Islands: None
- Bar type: Point bars
- Bed material: Sand with local gravel
- Bank material: Sand and gravel overlain by silt, occasional till where channel is confined
Reach number 3
- Terrain surrounding valley: Rolling hills, fluted ground moraine
Valley characteristics
- Description: Wide, stream cut valley
- Terraces: None
Valley flat
River channel
Reach number 4
- Terrain surrounding valley: Fluted ground moraine, some outwash
Valley characteristics
- Description: Narrow stream cut valley
- Terraces: None
Valley flat
- Width: >100 m
- Description: Highly variable
River channel
- Pattern: Irregular
- Islands: None
- Bar type: Point bars, side bars
- Bed material: Sand with local gravel
- Bank material: Sand, gravel, and till
Reach number 5
- Terrain surrounding valley: Rolling hills, ground moraine
Valley characteristics
- Description: Narrow stream cut valley
- Terraces: None
Valley flat
- Width: >100 m
- Description: Fragmentary
River channel
- Pattern: Irregular to sinuous
- Islands: None
- Bar type: Side bars
- Bed material: Gravel
- Bank material: Gravel, outwash, and till
Reach number 6
- Terrain surrounding valley: Rolling upland, ground moraine
Valley characteristics
- Description: Wide, stream cut valley
- Terraces: None
Valley flat
- Width: 400 m
- Description: Wide alluvial flat marked by oxbow cutoffs
River channel
- Pattern: Tortuous meanders Islands: None
- Bar type: Point bars
- Bed material: Sand
- Bank material: Sand overlain by silt
See also
Notes and References
- Mussio Ventures. Central Alberta Backroad Mapbook. Burnaby: Backroad Mapbooks (2002), pp. 7-8
- Alberta Environment, Environmental Engineering Support Division. Brazeau-Pembina River Classification Study. Edmonton: Alberta Department of the Environment, 1980.
