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Athabasca River

 

River, west-central Canada. A tributary of the Mackenzie River in Alberta, it rises in the Rocky Mountains in Jasper National Park and flows northeast and north 765 mi (1,231 km) into Lake Athabasca. Its chief tributaries are the Pembina, Lesser Slave, McLeod, and Clearwater rivers. Extensive petroleum deposits lie in oil-impregnated sands (Athabasca Tar Sands) along a 70-mi (113-km) stretch of the river.

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Athabasca River
Athabasca Watershed-WCanada.png
Athabasca River watershed in western Canada
Origin Columbia Icefield
52°10′04″N 117°25′50″W / 52.16778°N 117.43056°W / 52.16778; -117.43056
Mouth Lake Athabasca
58°37′35″N 110°50′05″W / 58.62639°N 110.83472°W / 58.62639; -110.83472
Basin countries  Canada
Length 1,231 km (765 mi)[1]
Source elevation 1,520 m (4,987 ft) (foot of glacier)
Mouth elevation 205 m (673 ft)
Avg. discharge 20,860,000 dam³[2]
Basin area 95,300 km2 (36,796 sq mi)[1]

The Athabasca River (French: rivière Athabasca) originates from the Columbia Glacier of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. The impressive and scenic Athabasca Falls is located upstream about 30 km (19 mi) from the Jasper townsite.

In Woods Cree, the word aðapaskāw means "[where] there are plants one after another",[3] likely a reference to the spotty vegetation along the river. The Canadian Heraldic Authority has named Athabaska Herald after the river.

Contents

History

Hudson's Bay Company's scow in Athabasca River, circa 1910

Sekani, Shuswap, Kootenay, Salish, Stoney and Cree tribes hunted and fished along the river prior to the European colonization. David Thompson and Thomas the Iroquois travelled through the Athabasca Pass in 1811. In 1862, the Atahbasca springs area was crossed during the Cariboo Goldrush.

Heritage

This river was designated a Canadian Heritage River for its importance to the fur trade and the construction of railways and roads opening up the Canadian west, as well as for its natural heritage.[4]


Course

Athabasca River in Jasper National Park

Athabasca River originates at the toe of the Athabasca Glacier, between Mount Columbia, Snow Dome and the Sir Winston Churchill Range, in Jasper National Park, at an altitude of approximately 1,600 meters (5,249 ft).

The river flows along icefields, through gorges, offers wildlife habitat on its shores and adjacent marshes. National and provincial parks were established to protect this habitats and landscapes, such as Jasper National Park, Sundance Provincial Park, Carson-Pegasus Provincial Park, Obed Lake Provincial Park, William A. Switzer Provincial Park. The river also crosses the southeast limits of Wood Buffalo National Park. Its course is marked by rapids, impeding navigation south of Fort McMurray.[5]

The Athabasca River travels 1,231 km (765 mi) before draining into the Peace-Athabasca Delta near Lake Athabasca, south of Fort Chipewyan and Wood Buffalo National Park. From there, its waters flow north as Slave River into the Great Slave Lake, which discharges through the Mackenzie River system into the Arctic Ocean. The cumulative drainage area is 95,300 km2 (36,796 sq mi).[2]

Many communities are located on the banks of this river. Among the larger ones are Jasper, Hinton, Whitecourt, Athabasca and Fort McMurray.

Tributaries

Alberta's Rockies
Central Alberta
  • Hardisty Creek
  • Fish Creek
  • Cache Petotte Creek
  • Tiecamp Creek
  • Canyon Creek
  • Ponoka Creek
  • Plante Creek
    • Apetowun Creek
  • Obed Creek
  • Oldman Creek
  • Nosehill Creek
  • Jackpine Creek
  • Berland River
    • Wildhay River
  • Beaver Creek
  • Marsh Head Creek
  • Pine Creek
  • Pass Creek
  • Two Creek
  • Windfall Creek
  • Chickadee Creek
  • Bessie Creek
  • Stony Creek
  • McLeod River
  • Sakwatamau River
Northern Alberta

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Atlas of Canada. "Canadian Rivers". http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/rivers.html#arctic. Retrieved 2007-01-16. 
  2. ^ a b Environment Alberta. "River Basins in Alberta". http://www3.gov.ab.ca/env/water/basins/BasinForm.cfm. Retrieved 2007-01-16. 
  3. ^ Bright, William (2004). Native American Place Names of the United States. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, pg. 52
  4. ^ Canadian Heritage River System. "Athabasca River". http://www.chrs.ca/Rivers/Athabasca/Athabasca_e.htm. Retrieved 2006-11-12. 
  5. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica (2006). "Athabasca River". http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9010050. Retrieved 2006-09-12. 

 
 

 

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
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