Plank Bridge Creek Explained

Plank Bridge Creek
Source1 Location:mountain in Spring Brook Township, Pennsylvania
Mouth Location:Spring Brook in Spring Brook Township, Pennsylvania
Mouth Coordinates:41.3053°N -75.644°W
Progression:Spring Brook → Lackawanna RiverSusquehanna RiverChesapeake Bay
Length:2.4miles
Source1 Elevation:between 1880feetand1900feetft (andft)
Mouth Elevation:1188feet
Basin Size:1.26sqmi

Plank Bridge Creek is a tributary of Spring Brook in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 2.4miles long and flows through Spring Brook Township. The watershed of the creek has an area of 1.26sqmi. It is inhabited by wild trout throughout its length. The surficial geology in its vicinity mainly consists of Wisconsinan Till, bedrock, Boulder Colluvium, alluvium, and wetlands.

Course

Plank Bridge Creek begins on a mountain in Spring Brook Township. It flows northwest for several hundred feet before turning northeast. After a few tenths of a mile, it turns north for a few tenths of a mile before turning east-northeast and entering a valley between Pinnacle Hill and another hill. The creek then turns north-northeast for several tenths of a mile before turning west-northwest and flowing alongside Spring Brook to its confluence with Spring Brook.

Plank Bridge Creek joins Spring Brook 8.65miles upstream of its mouth.

Geography and geology

The elevation near the mouth of Plank Bridge Creek is 1188feet above sea level. The elevation of the creek's source is between 1880feetand1900feetft (andft) above sea level.

The surficial geology in the vicinity of Plank Bridge Creek mainly consists of bedrock and a glacial or resedimented till known as Wisconsinan Till. The bedrock contains conglomerate, sandstone, and shale. However, small patches of alluvium, Boulder Colluvium (which contains numerous quartz, sandstone, and shale boulders), and wetlands are also present.

A hill known as Pinnacle Hill is in the watershed of Plank Bridge Creek.

Watershed

The watershed of Plank Bridge Creek has an area of 1.26sqmi. The entirety of the watershed is situated in Spring Brook Township. The watershed is in the Lower North Branch Susquehanna basin. The creek is entirely within the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Avoca.

History

Plank Bridge Creek was entered into the Geographic Names Information System on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1183996.

In the early 2000s, the Lackawanna River Watershed Conservation Plan recommended that Spring Brook Township include protection of Plank Bridge Creek in their comprehensive plans, as well as their ordinances for land use, zoning, and subdivision.

Biology

Wild trout naturally reproduce in Plank Bridge Creek from its headwaters downstream to its mouth.

See also