Young Creek facts for kids

Young Creek is a river in Alaska, USA. It flows into the Nizina River. This stream is the main waterway on the north side of MacColl Ridge. Young Creek is located within the beautiful Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve.

Young Creek's Journey

Young Creek is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) long. It starts high up in the mountains near Pyramid Peak. This peak also feeds other creeks like Chititu Creek and Dan Creek.

The water in Young Creek comes from melting snow and ice from glaciers. During warm summer days, the water can look cloudy. This is because it carries tiny bits of rock called glacial silt.

Young Creek flows through a valley shaped like a wide "U." This shape is typical for valleys carved by glaciers. The upper part of the creek is formed by two smaller streams, each about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) long. These streams flow over a flat area called a flood plain. This area has low, gravelly banks covered with bushes.

Further downstream, the creek makes a sharp turn to the west. After this "big bend," Young Creek has cut a deep channel into the valley floor. This channel is like a canyon that gets deeper as it goes. About 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) past a spot called Calamity Gulch, the canyon is about 500 feet (150 meters) deep! As the creek gets closer to the Nizina River, the canyon becomes wider and shallower.

Gold in the Area

Young Creek is part of the Nizina gold field. This area includes Young Creek, Chititu Creek, and Dan Creek. Young Creek is the biggest of these three streams. Its basin, which is shaped like a crescent, surrounds Chititu Creek. Some smaller streams that flow into Young Creek are Calamity Gulch and Gold Run.

Rocks and Land Around Young Creek

The main type of rock in the Young Creek valley is black shale. This shale has many thin layers of lighter-colored granite rock running through it. In the high mountains on both sides of the valley, you can find layers of conglomerate and sandstone. There are also some limestone layers and many round limestone pieces.

The creek's banks mostly show shale or the granite layers. The gravel deposits along Young Creek are found in three main places:

• High-bench gravels: These are high above the creek and form part of the canyon walls.
• Low-bench gravels: These are right next to the creek channel inside the canyon.
• Flood-plain gravels: These are the gravels over which the creek flows when the water is high.

Besides these gravels, there's also a thin layer of rocky material called morainal debris. This debris was left behind by glaciers. It's found all over the valley, even on mountain tops. Much of this material came from far away, from the upper Chitina Valley.