Matanuska River

Matanuska River
Silt-laden waters of the Chickaloon River (right center) enter the Matanuska River at mile 76 (km 123) of the Glenn Highway (upper right), a major highway connecting Anchorage to the rest of the state. The valley is forested with black cottonwood, balsam poplar, white spruce and paper birch.
South-central Alaska, near Anchorage
Matanuska River is located in Alaska
Matanuska River
Location of the mouth of the Matanuska River in Alaska
Native nameCh'atanhtnu (Tanaina)
Location
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
BoroughMatanuska-Susitna
Physical characteristics
Sourceconfluence of the river's east and south forks
 • coordinates61°47′27″N 147°29′07″W / 61.79083°N 147.48528°W / 61.79083; -147.48528[1]
 • elevation2,033 ft (620 m)[2]
MouthKnik Arm, Cook Inlet
 • location
9.5 miles (15.3 km) southwest of Palmer
 • coordinates
61°29′49″N 149°16′11″W / 61.49694°N 149.26972°W / 61.49694; -149.26972[1]
 • elevation
0 ft (0 m)[1]
Length75 mi (121 km)[3]
Basin size2,100 sq mi (5,400 km2)[4]
Discharge 
 • locationPalmer[5]
 • average3,875 cu ft/s (109.7 m3/s)[5]
 • minimum234 cu ft/s (6.6 m3/s)
 • maximum82,100 cu ft/s (2,320 m3/s)

The Matanuska River (Dena'inaCh'atanhtnuAhtnaTs'itonhna’) is a 75-mile (121 km) long river in Southcentral Alaska, United States.[3] The river drains a broad valley south of the Alaska Range eponymously known as the Matanuska Valley.[6]

  1. ^ a b c "Matanuska River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. March 31, 1981. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  2. ^ Derived by entering source coordinates in Google Earth.
  3. ^ a b Orth, Donald J.; United States Geological Survey (1971) [1967]. Dictionary of Alaska Place Names: Geological Survey Professional Paper 567 (PDF). United States Government Printing Office. p. 628. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 17, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  4. ^ Curran, J. H.; McTeague, M. L. (2011). "Geomorphology and Bank Erosion of the Matanuska River, Southcentral Alaska: Scientific Investigations Report 2011–5214" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey. pp. 1–5. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  5. ^ a b "USGS 15284000 Matanuska River at Palmer, Alaska". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  6. ^ Alaska Atlas & Gazetteer (7th ed.). Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. 2010. pp. 83–84. ISBN 978-0-89933-289-5.