| Elwyn Creek 14 Mile Creek | |
|---|---|
  Mouth of Elwyn Creek | |
| Location | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| District | Cassiar Land District |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Mount Edziza |
| • location | Big Raven Plateau |
| • coordinates | 57°44′42″N130°41′07″W / 57.74500°N 130.68528°W /57.74500; -130.68528[1] |
| • elevation | 2,030 m (6,660 ft)[1] |
| Mouth | Mess Creek |
• location | Tahltan Highland |
• coordinates | 57°47′16″N130°59′30″W / 57.78778°N 130.99167°W /57.78778; -130.99167[1] |
• elevation | 455 m (1,493 ft)[1] |
| Length | 25 km (16 mi)[1] |
| Basin size | 173 km2 (67 sq mi)[2] |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 3.34 m3/s (118 cu ft/s)[2] |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Kadeya Creek |
| Topo map | NTS104G15Buckley Lake |
Elwyn Creek is atributary ofMess Creek, which in turn is a tributary of theStikine River in northwest part of theprovince ofBritish Columbia, Canada.[3][4] It flows generally west for about 25 km (16 mi) to join Mess Creek about 10 km (6.2 mi) north of Mess Creek's confluence withTaweh Creek.[1][3] Elwyn Creek'swatershed covers 173 km2 (67 sq mi) and its mean annualdischarge is estimated at 3.34 m3/s (118 cu ft/s).[2] The mouth of Elwyn Creek is located about 16 km (9.9 mi) southeast ofTelegraph Creek, about 60 km (37 mi) west-southwest ofIskut and about 93 km (58 mi) southwest ofDease Lake.[1] Elwyn Creek's watershed'sland cover is classified as 37.9%shrubland, 30.3%conifer forest, 15.2%barren, 7.6% snow/glacier, 7.1%herbaceous, and small amounts of other cover.[2]
Elwyn Creek is inMount Edziza Provincial Park which lies within the traditional territory of theTahltan people.[5][6]
Elwyn Creek originates in the middle of theBig Raven Plateau.[5] From its source on the northwestern slope ofMount Edziza, Elwyn Creek flows about 4 km (2.5 mi) northwest pastTsekone Ridge andPillow Ridge to the head of a vegetated canyon. It then continues to flow northwest through the canyon for about 5 km (3.1 mi) before flowing west inside the canyon for an additional 12 km (7.5 mi) to empty into Mess Creek.[1][5][7]
Elwyn Creek's only named tributary,Kadeya Creek, is about 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Elwyn Creek's confluence with Mess Creek.[1][7] It is about 14 km (8.7 mi) long and flows northwest into Elwyn Creek from near the western side of Mount Edziza.[1][8][9]
Elwyn Creek contains a group ofhot springs between elevations of 1,350 and 1,440 m (4,430 and 4,720 ft) called the Elwyn Hot Springs. They occur near the base of theMount Edziza volcanic complex wherebasalt of theNido Formation overliesTertiaryleucogranite. Thick deposits oftufa formed by the precipitation ofcalcite andaragonite occur at the Elwyn Hot Springs. In 1983, the springs had a maximum temperature of 36 °C (97 °F). Their existence may be linked to a shallowhydrothermal system driven by residualmagmatic heat from the recently activeDesolation Lava Field about 6 km (3.7 mi) to the east.[10]
Elwyn Creek is the namesake of the Elwyn Creek Pluton. This is a body ofintrusive rock at least 5 km (3.1 mi) wide exposed in Elwyn Creek canyon. The main intrusive rock comprising the Elwyn Creek Pluton is fine grained, slightlyporphyritic leucogranite containingphenocrysts of sodicplagioclase. It is ofEocene age, having yielded aK–Ar date of 53.1 ± 2.4 million years. This suggests that the Elwyn Creek Pluton was formed by one of the youngest known igneous events in the Elwyn Creek area prior to the onset ofvolcanism of the Mount Edziza volcanic complex in theLate Miocene.[10]
The historicYukon Telegraph Trail crosses Elwyn Creek in Mess Creek valley.[11] It was built to serve the nearly 3,000 km-long (1,900 mi) Yukon Telegraph Line which was constructed by the Dominion Government Telegraph Service between 1897 and 1901 to send messages fromAshcroft, British Columbia in the south toDawson City,Yukon in the north.[12] The telegraph trail crosses other tributaries along the eastern side of Mess Creek, includingCrayke Creek about 6 km (3.7 mi) south of Elwyn Creek.[1][11]
Elwyn Creek was formerly called 14 Mile Creek which appeared on a BC Lands map published in 1929. Its current name was suggested by the BC Geographic Division to avoid duplication; it first appeared on maps in 1945. Elwyn Creek is named afterThomas Elwyn, a government agent who accompanied aWestern Union Telegraph expedition in 1866.[3]
