Sand Fork (Little Kanawha River)

The Sand Fork is a tributary of the Little Kanawha River, 18.7 miles (30.1 km) long,[3] in central West Virginia in the United States. Via the Little Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 80 square miles (210 km2)[4] in a rural region on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.

Sand Fork
Location of the mouth of the Sand Fork in Sand Fork, West Virginia
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWest Virginia
CountiesLewis, Gilmer
Physical characteristics
Source 
  locationnorthwest of Roanoke, Lewis County
  coordinates38°58′22″N 80°31′39″W[1]
  elevation1,181 ft (360 m)[2]
MouthLittle Kanawha River
  location
Sand Fork, Gilmer County
  coordinates
38°54′55″N 80°45′11″W[1]
  elevation
732 ft (223 m)[1]
Length18.7 mi (30.1 km)
Basin size80 sq mi (210 km2)

The Sand Fork rises approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Roanoke in Lewis County and flows west-southwestward into eastern Gilmer County, where it flows into the Little Kanawha River from the north in the town of Sand Fork.[5]

According to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, approximately 92.8% of the Sand Fork watershed is forested, mostly deciduous. Approximately 6% is used for pasture and agriculture.[4]

The creek was named for the sand bars its contains.[6]

See also

References

  1. Geographic Names Information System. "Geographic Names Information System entry for Sand Fork (Feature ID #1546352)". Retrieved 2011-10-12.
  2. Google Earth elevation for GNIS source coordinates. Retrieved on 2011-03-08.
  3. United States Environmental Protection Agency. "Watershed Assessment, Tracking & Environmental Results: Assessment Summary for Reporting Year 2008, West Virginia, Little Kanawha Watershed". Archived from the original on 2011-10-14. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  4. West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. "Little Kanawha River". Watershed Atlas Project. Archived from the original on 2005-04-04. Retrieved 2011-10-12. External link in |work= (help)
  5. West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Me.: DeLorme. 1997. p. 35. ISBN 0-89933-246-3.
  6. Kenny, Hamill (1945). West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains. Piedmont, WV: The Place Name Press. p. 552.
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