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Vermilion River EarthCache EarthCache

Hidden : 11/16/2016
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   other (other)

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Geocache Description:

The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows east from the Canadian Rockies to central Saskatchewan. It is one of two major rivers that join to make up the Saskatchewan River. The Saskatchewan River system is the largest shared between the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. It includes most of southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan, before crossing into central Manitoba


North Saskatchewan River has a length of 1,287 kilometres, and a drainage area of 122,800 square kilometres. At its end point at Saskatchewan River Forks it has a mean discharge of 245 cubic metres per second. The yearly discharge at the Alberta–Saskatchewan border is more than 7 cubic kilometres. The river begins above 1,800 metres at the toe of the Saskatchewan Glacier in the Columbia Icefield, and flows southeast through Banff National Park alongside the Icefields Parkway. At the junction of the David Thompson Highway (Highway 11), it initially turns northeast for 10 kilometres before switching to a more direct eastern flow for about 30 kilometres. At this point, it turns north where it eventually arrives at Abraham Lake. Bighorn Dam constricts the north end of Abraham Lake, where the North Saskatchewan emerges to track eastward to Rocky Mountain House. At Rocky Mountain House, the river abruptly turns north again for 100 kilometres where it switches east towards Edmonton, Alberta. In Edmonton, the river passes through the centre of the city in a northeasterly direction and out towards Smoky Lake at which point it quickly changes to the southeast and then more to the east as it makes its way to the Alberta–Saskatchewan boundary. From the border, the river flows southeast between North Battleford and Battleford and on in the direction of Saskatoon. About 40 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon, near Langham, the river veers to the northeast where it passes through the City of Prince Albert. About 30 kilometres downstream of Prince Albert, the North Saskatchewan River joins the South Saskatchewan River at Saskatchewan River Forks to become the Saskatchewan River. From there, the river flows east to Tobin Lake and into Manitoba, eventually emptying into Lake Winnipeg.

A view of the river looking south from Edmonton's Glenora neighbourhood The river course can be divided into five distinct sections. The first, the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, is the smallest area geographically, although the largest in terms of run-off and contributed water flow. The glaciers and perpetual snows of the mountain peaks feed the river year-round. Mountains, with little vegetation, experience fast-melting snow cover. The second section of the river comprises the foothills region. The terrain is hilly and rough, with a deeper and more defined valley. This area is well covered with forest and muskeg, and run-off into the river is much more constant and stable than in the mountains. From Edmonton to the mouth of the Vermilion River, ( this is the place we are interested in) the North Saskatchewan flows through the plains-parkland divide, with occasional stretches of prairie. The river runs in a well-defined valley with deep cuts in the landscape.The fourth section, from the Vermilion River to Prince Albert is principally prairie with a few small stretches of timber and secondary forest cover. The valley of the river is much wider, and the river itself spreads out across shallow water and flows over many shifting sand bars. Low-lying, flat areas, border the river for much of this section. The final section of the river, from Prince Albert to the Saskatchewan River Forks, has many rapids. The valley is more shallow than the previous sections of the river, and the channel is much better defined.

The Vermilion River is a tributary of the North Saskatchewan River in east-central Alberta, Canada. Its lower course flows through the County of Vermilion River, which is named after this river. Course The Vermilion River is formed from spring runoff and rainfall south of the town of Vegreville. It flows northeast through Vegreville, then continues in that direction until the town of Two Hills, where it turns southeast. At Vermilion, a reservoir is created by a dam on the river. After that, the river turns again to the northeast. It empties into the North Saskatchewan River 16 km north of Marwayne. Vermilion River has a length of 255 km. Before its confluence with the North Saskatchewan River, it has an average water level of 16.5 m.


Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Saskatchewan_Riverwww.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/saskatchewan-river/

North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance https://nswa.ab.ca/content/overview County of Vermilion River,

To log this earthcache
Please send the answers to the questions/tasks below to my mail account first. You can log immediately after. If something is wrong, I'll contact you. If no answers send before the log, your log will be deleted.

1) The Vermilion River is _ _ _ km in length.

2) Name three Tributaries that come into the North Saskatchewan River.

3) Is there any sign of materials being washed into the North Saskatchewan River from the Vermilion river.

If yes what consistency, color, and is there an accumulation in the river.

4) what is the width of the river at the mouth

5) On the plaque on the bridge what is on the next line after 1957. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

6)Pictures are very welcome, if they don't include answers,

Additional Hints (No hints available.)