Shamokin Creek (also known as Great Shamokin Creek or Middle Branch Shamokin Creek) is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately long and flows through Mount Carmel, Mount Carmel Township, Coal Township, Shamokin, Ralpho Township, Shamokin Township, Snydertown, Upper Augusta Township, and Sunbury. The watershed of the creek has an area of . It experiences significant impacts by abandoned mine drainage and many abandoned mine drainage discharges are in its watershed. Various other impairments also affect parts of the creek's watershed. Shamokin Creek is in the Appalachian Mountains section of the Ridge and Valley physiographic province. Rock formations consisting of sandstone, shale, and anthracite deposits occur in the watershed.
The main land uses in the watershed of Shamokin Creek are forested land and agricultural land, with barren land and urban land making up only a few percent of the watershed. However, in the upper , forested land and mine spoils dominate, urban land is less prevalent, and agricultural land is virtually nonexistent. Coal mining was being done in the watershed of Shamokin Creek by the early 1800s. In the early 1900s, coal mining, foundries, iron works, nail production, agriculture, silk mills, and woolen mills were the main industries in the watershed. In the 1990s and 2000s, many grants for restoring the creek have been received by various organizations.
The main stem of Shamokin Creek is designated as a Warmwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery. The creek is devoid of fish life in its upper reaches, but several fish species have been observed further downstream. The upper reaches of the creek also lack macroinvertebrate life. The lower of the creek are navigable by canoe for part of the year. Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 165 is also partially in the watershed.
Course
Shamokin Creek begins on the eastern edge of Mount Carmel. It flows northwest for a few tenths of a mile before turning west-southwest, crossing Pennsylvania Route 61, and entering Mount Carmel Township. Here, the creek turns southwest for a few tenths of a mile before turning west-southwest again and receiving the tributary North Branch Shamokin Creek from the right. It then turns southwest for several tenths of a mile and receives the tributary Locust Creek from the left. At this point, the creek turns west-southwest for more than a mile, entering a valley and passing into Coal Township. Soon after entering this township, it turns in a northwesterly direction, flowing alongside Pennsylvania Route 901 and leaving the valley. At this point, the creek receives the tributary Quaker Run from the right and turns west-southwest along the border of the census-designated place of Marshalton. After several tenths of a mile, it turns south-southwest before turning north-northwest and entering Shamokin. Several tenths of a mile after entering Shamokin, the creek receives the tributary Coal Run from the right and turns west-southwest. A few tenths of a mile further downstream, it crosses Pennsylvania Route 125 and receives Carbon Run and Furnace Run from the left and turns north, exiting Shamokin and reentering Coal Township.
Upon entering Coal Township, Shamokin Creek crosses Pennsylvania Route 61 and continues flowing north, passing through a water gap in Big Mountain. The creek continues heading north near Pennsylvania Route 61 and passes along the border of Tharptown/Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Here, it receives Trout Run from the right and turns west for several tenths of a mile, crossing Pennsylvania Route 61. The creek then turns north and passes through a water gap in Little Mountain. In this water gap, the creek exits Coal Township and begins flowing along the border between Ralpho Township and Shamokin Township. It continues flowing north for several miles though a valley and alongside Pennsylvania Route 61, receiving Bennys Run from the left, Millers Run from the right, and Lick Run from the left.
More than a mile after receiving Lick Run, Shamokin Creek turns in a westerly direction for many miles. In this reach, it flows through a much broader and deeper valley. It passes through Shamokin Township and Snydertown before entering Upper Augusta Township. Here, the creek flows in a west-southwesterly direction for several miles before turning south and receiving Little Shamokin Creek, its last named tributary, from the left. Several tenths of a mile further downstream, it flows west for several tenths of a mile, flowing along the border between Sunbury and Upper Augusta Township. The creek then turns southwest for several tenths of a mile and continues flowing along the border until it reaches its confluence with the Susquehanna River.
Shamokin Creek joins the Susquehanna River upriver of its mouth.
Tributaries
Shamokin Creek has eleven named direct tributaries, including Little Shamokin Creek, Carbon Run, Coal Run, Bennys Run, Locust Creek, and others. Little Shamokin Creek joins Shamokin Creek upstream of its mouth and drains an area of . Carbon Run joins Shamokin Creek upstream of its mouth and drains an area of . Coal Run joins Shamokin Creek upstream of its mouth and drains an area of . Bennys Run joins Shamokin Creek upstream of its mouth and drains an area of . Locust Creek joins Shamokin Creek upstream of its mouth and drains an area of .
Hydrology The entire length of Shamokin Creek is designated as impaired due to high levels of metals from abandoned mine drainage. In addition to abandoned mine drainage, the creek is impacted by sewage, disruption of the area's natural hydrology, and probably nutrient pollution, sediment, and low levels of dissolved oxygen. Non-polluted streams in the creek's lower reaches dilute the pollution by more than doubling Shamokin Creek's discharge. However, impairments remain as far downstream as the creek's mouth in Sunbury. There are dozens of abandoned mine drainage discharges in the watershed's upper reaches. Some discharges lead into the watershed of Mahanoy Creek, which has some mine drainage discharges that flow back into the Shamokin Creek watershed.
The pH of Shamokin Creek as far downstream as Sunbury can be as low as 4.2. The pH in the creek's upper reaches is 6.1 to 6.6, depending on the site and the time of year, while in Shamokin, it can range from 6.3 to 6.5; below Shamokin, it can range from 5.9 to 6.3; and at Sunbury, it can range from 4.0 to 6.5.
In August 1999, Shamokin Creek was dry near the confluence of North Branch Shamokin Creek, but near Quaker Run, its discharge was . In Shamokin, the discharge was and slightly further downstream, it was . Near its mouth, the creek's discharge was . The creek's discharge was considerably higher in March 2000, being near North Branch Shamokin Creek, near Quaker Run, at Shamokin (depending on the site), below Shamokin (again, depending on the site), and at Sunbury.
The concentrations of manganese and iron in the upper reaches of Shamokin Creek are , while the daily loads are . Closer to Shamokin, the iron concentration ranges from , depending on the site, while the manganese concentration ranges from . The daily loads are for iron and for manganese. Downstream of Shamokin, the iron concentration steadily decreases from at site SC5 to at site SC8 at Sunbury. These values equate to daily loads of . The manganese concentration decreases less dramatically, from ( per day) at SC5 to ( per day) at Sunbury. The creek's streambed is lined with iron in some reaches. The creek has high concentrations of nickel.
In and around Shamokin, the aluminum concentration of Shamokin Creek ranges from , depending on the site. This equates to a daily load of . In the creek's middle reaches, the concentration decreases from ( per day) at site SC5 to ( per day) at site SC7 to ( per day) at Sunbury.
In August 1999 and March 2000, the sulfate concentration in the upper reaches of Shamokin Creek ranged from , depending on the site. At Shamokin, it ranged from , and below Shamokin, it ranged from . The sulfate concentration in Sunbury ranged from .
In August 1999 and March 2000, the nitrogen concentration in the upper reaches of Shamokin Creek ranged from , depending on the site. At Shamokin, it ranged from , and below Shamokin, it ranged from . The nitrogen concentration in Sunbury ranged from . The concentration of sodium was , while the phosphorus concentration was and the chloride concentration was .
In 1917, the Water Resources Inventory Report referred to Shamokin Creek as the worst stream in the Coal Region due to the mine water, culm deposits, and other problems. During this time period, the culm deposits were so extensive that it was one of the few creeks where it was commercially viable to recover coal from its streambed. The creek was black throughout its entire length and typically sluggish in its upper reaches, though it had fast reaches. However, it was clear at its headwaters.
Geography, geology, and climate
The elevation near the mouth of Shamokin Creek is above sea level. The elevation of the creek's source is between above sea level. Between Mount Carmel and Shamokin, the gradient of the creek is . Between Shamokin and the creek's mouth, this decreases to .
The watershed of Shamokin Creek is in the Appalachian Mountains section of the Ridge and Valley physiographic province. The lower reaches of the watershed are in the Northern Shale Valleys and Slopes Ecoregion, while the upper reaches are in the Anthracite Coal Ecoregion. In the early 1900s, vast culm deposits along the creek's banks caused it to lack a defined channel until Snydertown.
The topography of the watershed of Shamokin Creek is "broken and mountainous". The lower reaches of the watershed mainly consist of rolling hills. The creek cuts through Big Mountain and Little Mountain immediately north of Shamokin. Locust Mountain and Mahanoy Mountain are on the southern border of the watershed's upper reaches. Broad alluvial flats occur in the lower reaches of the watershed. Mine spoil and pits occur in the upper reaches. Although mining only occurred in the upper third of the creek's watershed, south of Big Mountain, iron precipitate lines the creek for much of its length.
The channel of Shamokin Creek is sinuous and flows through rock formations consisting of sandstone, shale, and extensive anthracite deposits. There are some culm deposits along the creek. The creek flows between stone walls in Shamokin. The upper of the watershed, upstream of Big Mountain, are in the Western Middle Anthracite Field, in the Coal Region. There are 34 coal veins in the watershed and nearly all have been either deep-mined or strip-mined. The creek passes through rock of the Hamilton Formation near Paxinos. The creek's valley is partly carved from Marcellus black slate. Red shale of the Mauch Chunk Formation also occurs in the watershed.
Shamokin Creek flows almost entirely through rapids in from Shamokin downstream for . Most of these rapids are easily navigable by canoe, but there is one difficult and bouldery rapid near the Glen Burn Colliery. Eventually, the whitewater on the creek becomes less prevalent. By Paxinos, the rapids have almost disappeared, save for some sluices formed by cobbles. There is a weir with a height of on the creek downstream of Shamokin.
In the early 1900s, the average rate of precipitation in the watershed of Shamokin Creek was per year. The water temperature of the creek at Shamokin was measured to be in August 1999.
Watershed