Shamokin Creek | |
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Shamokin Creek looking upstream in Shamokin, Pennsylvania
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Other name(s) | Great Shamokin Creek, Middle Branch Shamokin Creek |
Etymology | Delaware word for "Eel Creek" |
Basin features | |
Main source | eastern edge of Mount Carmel, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania |
River mouth | Susquehanna River on the border between Upper Augusta Township, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania and Sunbury, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania 40°50′31″N 76°48′21″W / 40.8419°N 76.8058°WCoordinates: 40°50′31″N 76°48′21″W / 40.8419°N 76.8058°W |
Progression | Susquehanna River → Chesapeake Bay |
Basin size | 137 sq mi (350 km2) |
Tributaries | |
Physical characteristics | |
Length | 32.4 mi (52.1 km) |
Discharge |
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Shamokin Creek (also known as Great Shamokin Creek or Middle Branch Shamokin Creek) is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 32.4 miles (52.1 km) long and flows through Mount Carmel, Mount Carmel Township, Coal Township, Shamokin, Ralpho Township, Shamokin Township, Snydertown, Upper Augusta Township, and Sunbury. The watershed of the creek has an area of 137 square miles (350 km2). It experiences significant impacts by abandoned mine drainage and many abandoned mine drainage discharges are in its watershed. Various other impairments also affect parts of the creek's watershed. Shamokin Creek is in the Appalachian Mountains section of the Ridge and Valley physiographic province. Rock formations consisting of sandstone, shale, and anthracite deposits occur in the watershed.
The main land uses in the watershed of Shamokin Creek are forested land and agricultural land, with barren land and urban land making up only a few percent of the watershed. However, in the upper 54 square miles (140 km2), forested land and mine spoils dominate, urban land is less prevalent, and agricultural land is virtually nonexistent. Coal mining was being done in the watershed of Shamokin Creek by the early 1800s. In the early 1900s, coal mining, foundries, iron works, nail production, agriculture, silk mills, and woolen mills were the main industries in the watershed. In the 1990s and 2000s, many grants for restoring the creek have been received by various organizations.