Slab Fork

This article is about the tributary of the Guyandotte River. For the unincorporated community, see Slab Fork, West Virginia.
Slab Fork
Slab Fork in Mullens in 2007
Slab Fork is located in West Virginia
Slab Fork
Location of the mouth of the Slab Fork in Mullens, West Virginia
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWest Virginia
CountiesRaleigh, Wyoming
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationsouth of Lester
 • coordinates37°42′32″N 81°17′31″W / 37.7090031°N 81.2920465°W / 37.7090031; -81.2920465[1]
 • elevation2,364 ft (721 m)[2]
MouthGuyandotte River
 • location
Mullens
 • coordinates
37°34′54″N 81°22′54″W / 37.5817809°N 81.3817692°W / 37.5817809; -81.3817692[1]
 • elevation
1,411 ft (430 m)[1]
Length15.1 mi (24.3 km)
Basin size35.36 sq mi (91.6 km2)

The Slab Fork is a tributary of the Guyandotte River, 15.1 miles (24.3 km) long,[3] in southern West Virginia in the United States. Via the Guyandotte and Ohio rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of 35.36 square miles (91.6 km2) in a mainly rural area on the unglaciated portion of the Allegheny Plateau.[4]

The Slab Fork rises in Raleigh County, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Lester and 2.5 miles (4.0 km) 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.[5]

According to 1992 data from the United States Geological Survey, 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.[4]

  1. ^ a b c Geographic Names Information System. "Geographic Names Information System entry for Slab Fork (Feature ID #1546888)". Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  2. ^ Google Earth elevation for GNIS source coordinates. Retrieved on 2011-10-23.
  3. ^ United States Environmental Protection Agency. "Watershed Assessment, Tracking & Environmental Results: Assessment Summary for Reporting Year 2008, West Virginia, Upper Guyandotte Watershed". Archived from the original on 2012-12-12. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  4. ^ a b Upper Guyandotte Watershed Association (February 2006). "Upper Guyandotte River" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  5. ^ West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Me.: DeLorme. 1997. pp. 58–59. ISBN 0-89933-246-3.