Fitch Creek is a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

Wyoming County, Pennsylvania Wyoming County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,069. Its county seat is Tunkhannock. It was created in 1842 from part of Luzerne County. The county is part of the Northeast Penns ...

, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Falls Township. The watershed of the creek has an area of . The creek is not designated as an impaired waterbody. Its drainage basin is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery.

Course

Fitch Creek begins in an unnamed lake in Falls Township. It flows south for a few tenths of a mile before and enters a valley. It then turns southwest for several tenths of a mile and its valley broadens. At this point, the creek turns south-southwest for a short distance before turning southeast for a few tenths of a mile and crossing Pennsylvania Route 92. It then heads in an easterly direction for several tenths of a mile before reaching its confluence with the Susquehanna River. Fitch Creek joins the Susquehanna River upriver of its mouth.

Tributaries

Fitch Creek has no named tributaries. However, it does have an unnamed tributary, which flows down a mountain to join Fitch Creek.

Hydrology

Fitch Creek is not designated as an impaired waterbody.

Geography and geology

The elevation near the

mouth A mouth also referred to as the oral is the body orifice through which many animals ingest food and animal communication#Auditory, vocalize. The body cavity immediately behind the mouth opening, known as the oral cavity (or in Latin), is also t ...

of Fitch Creek is above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. The elevation of the creek's

source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute ...

is between above sea level. The

surficial geology Superficial deposits (or surficial deposits) refer to geological deposits typically of Quaternary age (less than 2.6 million years old) for the Earth. These geologically recent unconsolidated sediments may include stream channel and floodplain dep ...

near the mouth of Fitch Creek mainly consists of

alluvium Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...

, Wisconsinan

Outwash An outwash plain, also called a sandur (plural: ''sandurs''), sandr or sandar, is a plain formed of glaciofluvial deposits due to meltwater outwash at the terminus of a glacier. As it flows, the glacier grinds the underlying rock surface and c ...

, and sand and gravel pits. Further upstream, Wisconsinan

Till image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...

is most prevalent, but there are also a few patches of Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Stratified Drift,

bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid rock that lies under loose material ( regolith) within the crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface material. An exposed portion of bed ...

, and lakes. A hill known as Post Hill is located to the east of Fitch Creek.

Watershed

The

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

of Fitch Creek has an area of . The creek is entirely within the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...

quadrangle of Ransom. A

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

known as the Fitch Creek Falls is on Fitch Creek. One reach of the creek flows alongside a road known as Evergreen Road at a distance of approximately . The designated use of Fitch Creek is for

aquatic life An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem found in and around a body of water, in contrast to land-based terrestrial ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems contain communities of organisms—aquatic life—that are dependent on each other and on their environm ...

History

Fitch Creek was entered into the

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and location information about more than two million physical and cultural features, encompassing the United States and its territories; the Compact of Free Association, asso ...

on August 2, 1979. Its identifier in the Geographic Names Information System is 1199869. A bridge carrying Pennsylvania Route 92 crosses Fitch Creek. As of October 2014, a bridge replacement project has been programmed for the bridge.

Biology

The drainage basin of Fitch Creek is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery.

References

External links

Fitch Creek Falls
{{authority control Rivers of Wyoming County, Pennsylvania Tributaries of the Susquehanna River Rivers of Pennsylvania