Black Creek (Arizona)
| Black Creek (Arizona) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | Houck, Arizona, confluence with Puerco River |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Puerco—Little Colorado |
Black Creek of Arizona is a 55-mi (89 km)[1]north tributary of the Puerco River, of northeast Arizona, and northwest New Mexico.
The Black River flows south along an east and southeast perimeter section of the Defiance Plateau; Red Lake (Arizona - New Mexico)-(at Navajo, New Mexico), lies in Red Vallley near the origin of Black Creek, and other watercourses meeting at Red Lake. Red Lake is located at the north of the river valley, Black Creek Valley, which extends south to White River, Arizona.
Fort Defiance, Arizona is at a northwest section of Black Creek. Other sources of the creek are from the east in New Mexico. The Chuska Mountains, of Arizona and New Mexico, trend southeasterly, (in the south) and form the east of Black Creek Valley; an extension south from the Chuskas, the Manuelito Plateau, forms the east border, from Red Lake south, to just east of Fort Defiance.
Black Creek continues south, and south of Window Rock, the Black Creek Valley ends as St. Michaels, Arizona. Approximately 6-mi[2] south of St. Michaels, Bear Creek Valley ends, and begins a smaller Oat Spring Valley. Bear Creek exits the valley southwest, through a 4-mi long canyon to enter a due-south flowing stretch to Houck, Arizona, and its confluece with the Puerco River.
Black Creek, and Black Creek Valley are mostly due-north, south trending, paralleling the New Mexico border; only a small section of Black Creek actually courses in New Mexico, south of Red Lake. The origin of the Puerco River, on the other hand, is east of Gallup, New Mexico at the Continental Divide, and south of Crownpoint, New Mexico.
References
- Arizona Road & Recreation Atlas, Benchmark Maps, 2nd Edition, c. 1998, 112 pages.
- Arizona DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer, 5th Edition, c. 2002, 76 pages.
- New Mexico DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer, 5th Edition, c. 2009, 72 pages.
See also
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