Tenchen Creek is a tributary of Kakiddi Creek, which in turn is a tributary of the Klastline River, part of the Stikine Riverwatershed in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada.[2] It flows generally flows northeast for about 8km (5.0mi) to join Kakiddi Creek about 13km (8.1mi) south of Kakiddi Creek's confluence with the Klastline River.[2][1] Tenchen is a combination of the Tahltan words "ten" and "chen", which mean "ice" and "dirty" respectively.[2]
Tenchen Creek's watershed covers 42.3km2 (16.3sqmi) and its mean annual discharge is estimated at 1.01m3/s (36cuft/s).[3] The mouth of Tenchen Creek is located about 46km (29mi) southeast of Telegraph Creek, about 28km (17mi) west-southwest of Iskut and about 80km (50mi) south-southwest of Dease Lake.[1] Elwyn Creek's watershed's land cover is classified as 32.5% barren, 28.4% conifer forest, 27% snow/glacier, 8% shrubland, 3.3% herbaceous, and small amounts of other cover.[3]
Tenchen Creek originates with several small streams converging at the head of Tenchen Glacier on the east side of Mount Edziza.[2][6] From its source, Tenchen Creek flows about 4km (2.5mi) east-northeast through conifer forest into the broad hummockylowland of Kakiddi Valley.[1][7] Tenchen Creek then flows about 1km (0.62mi) southeast before flowing an additional 3km (1.9mi) northwest where it drains into Kakiddi Creek.[1][4]
Geology
At the head of Tenchen Creek is an active cirque that has breached the eastern side of Mount Edziza's ice-filled summit crater. Exposed in the cirque headwall are hydrothermally altered rocks of the central volcanic conduit, as well as lava lakes that once filled the crater. These rocks are part of the Edziza Formation which comprises the nearly symmetrical trachytestratovolcano of Mount Edziza.[7]
1234"Northwest Water Tool". BC Water Tool. GeoBC, Integrated Land Management Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Government of British Columbia. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
