The Slab Fork 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
Guyandotte River
The Guyandotte River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 166 mi (267 km) long, in southwestern West Virginia in the United States. It was named after the French term for the Wendat Native Americans. It drains an area of ...
, long,
in southern
West Virginia
West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. Via the Guyandotte and
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
rivers, it is part of the
watershed of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
, draining an area of in a mainly rural area on the
unglaciated portion of the
Allegheny Plateau
The Allegheny Plateau ( ) is a large dissected plateau area of the Appalachian Mountains in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern and western West Virginia, and eastern Ohio. It is divided into the unglacia ...
.
The Slab Fork rises in
Raleigh County, approximately south of
Lester and west of
Sophia, and initially flows generally southwestward through the communities of
Slab Fork and
Hotchkiss into eastern
Wyoming County, where it turns southward and flows through the communities of
Maben,
Pierpont, and
Otsego, to the city of
Mullens, where it flows into the Guyandotte River from the north. Between Slab Fork and Mullens, the stream is paralleled by
West Virginia Route 54
West Virginia Route 54 is a north–south state highway located in southern West Virginia
West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions ...
.
According to 1992 data from 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 ...
, approximately 95% of the Slab Fork watershed was forested; approximately 2% was used for agriculture; and approximately 1% was used for commercial or mining purposes.
[
]
See also
*List of rivers of West Virginia
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of West Virginia.
List of West Virginia rivers includes streams formally designated as rivers. There are also smaller streams (i.e., branches, creeks, drains, forks, licks, runs, etc.) in the state. Exc ...
References
{{authority control
Rivers of West Virginia
Tributaries of the Guyandotte River
Rivers of Raleigh County, West Virginia
Rivers of Wyoming County, West Virginia