Tuya Lake

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Tuya Lake
Canada British Columbia relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Tuya Lake
Location British Columbia
Coordinates 59°04′00″N130°35′00″W / 59.0666667°N 130.5833333°W / 59.0666667; -130.5833333
Type oligotrophic
Primary inflows Butte Creek, Tuya River
Primary outflows Tuya River
Basin  countriesCanada
Max. length13 km (8.1 mi)
Max. width3 km (1.9 mi)
Average depth20 m (66 ft)
Max. depth54 m (177 ft)
Surface elevation1,117 m (3,665 ft)

Tuya Lake, located in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, [1] presumably derives its name from the presence of nearby steep-sided, flat-topped volcanoes, known as tuyas. [2] The lake is situated just south of Tuya Butte at a latitude of about 59 degrees North and a longitude of about 131 degrees West. [3]

Contents

Fish species

The fish species that are native to Tuya Lake include Arctic grayling (Thymalus arcticus), bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), longnose sucker (Catostomus catostomus), burbot (Lota lota), prickly sculpin (Cottus asper), and slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus). While it is not a native species, sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) can also be found in Tuya Lake. [4]

Impact of the Pacific Salmon Treaty

The Pacific Salmon Treaty was created in 1985 and it is an agreement between the United States and Canada aimed at conserving salmon populations and maintaining equity in the area of salmon fishing. [5] As a part of this treaty, the amount of sockeye salmon was increased by 100,000 in the Stikine Water Shed, which Tuya Lake is a part of. [4]

Surrounding areas

Much of the area surrounding Tuya Lake consists of undeveloped wilderness. The human activity around Tuya Lake is limited mainly to hunting and other outdoor activities. Common animals that attract hunters include caribou, grizzly bear, moose, mountain goat, black bear, wolf, and wolverine. The types of waterfowl in the area include northern pintail, lesser scaup, and red-throated loon. [6]

Landforms and vegetation

The Tuya Lake region is in close proximity to many mountains, plateaus, tuyas, and valleys. In lowland areas, wetlands are common. Forests of white spruce, willow, birch, and fir are present. [6]

Tributaries

Tuya Lake empties into Tuya River which flows in a South or Southwest direction until it enters the Stikine River. It is fed by numerous tributaries, most notably Butte Creek, as well as several others that are not named. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

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The Stikine River is a major river in northern British Columbia (BC), Canada and southeastern Alaska in the United States. It drains a large, remote upland area known as the Stikine Country east of the Coast Mountains. Flowing west and south for 610 kilometres (379 mi), it empties into various straits of the Inside Passage near Wrangell, Alaska. About 90 percent of the river's length and 95 percent of its drainage basin are in Canada. Considered one of the last truly wild large rivers in BC, the Stikine flows through a variety of landscapes including boreal forest, steep canyons and wide glacial valleys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skeena River</span> River in British Columbia, Canada

The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada. Since ancient times, the Skeena has been an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan—whose names mean "inside the River of Mist" ,and "people of the River of Mist," respectively. The river and its basin sustain a wide variety of fish, wildlife, and vegetation, and communities native to the area depend on the health of the river. The Tsimshian migrated to the Lower Skeena River, and the Gitxsan occupy territory of the Upper Skeena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuya volcanic field</span> Volcanic field in the country of Canada

The Tuya volcanic field is a volcanic field of tuyas located in far northern British Columbia, Canada, near the border with the Yukon Territory and focused on the area of the Tuya Range, a subrange of the Stikine Ranges of the Cassiar Mountains, though some vents are in the Kawdy Plateau, the northernmost part of the Stikine Plateau. Several small shield volcanoes, and postglacial lapilli cones and lava flows have been reported in this area. The only nonglacial volcanoes in the field are Gabrielse Cone and the West Tuya lava field.

Tuya Butte is a tuya in the Tuya Range of north-central British Columbia, Canada. It is a bit less isolated from other ranges than neighbouring Mount Josephine. Some of the other volcanoes in the area include South Tuya, Ash Mountain, and Mathews Tuya.

Ash Mountain is the highest summit in the Tuya Range of the Stikine Ranges in northcentral British Columbia, Canada, located immediately north of High Tuya Lake at the north end of Tuya Mountains Provincial Park. It is one of the six tuyas clustered close to Tuya Lake. The base of the volcano comprises pillow lava and hyaloclastite indicating that the volcano formed beneath ice or under a large lake. The volcano comprises loose debris as well as dikes of basaltic rock that intruded into the volcanic pile. Other tuyas in the area include Tuya Butte, South Tuya and Mathews Tuya, although most of the group of tuyas are unnamed.

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The Tuya Range is a mountain range in the Stikine Ranges of the Cassiar Mountains in the far north of the Canadian province of British Columbia, near its border with the Yukon Territory and to the southwest of Watson Lake, Yukon, which is the nearest major settlement.

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The Tuya River is a major tributary of the Stikine River in northwest part of the province of British Columbia, Canada. From its source at High Tuya Lake in Tuya Mountains Provincial Park just south of Ash Mountain, the highest peak of the Tuya Range, the Tuya River flows south about 200 km (120 mi) to meet the Stikine River in the Grand Canyon of the Stikine. The Tuya River's main tributary is the Little Tuya River. The Tuya River divides the Tanzilla Plateau on the east from the Kawdy Plateau, to the northwest, and the Nahlin Plateau, to the southwest. All three are considered sub-plateaus of the Stikine Plateau. The Tuya River's watershed covers 3,575 km2 (1,380 sq mi), and its mean annual discharge is estimated at 36.9 m3/s (1,300 cu ft/s). The mouth of the Tuya River is located about 24 km (15 mi) northeast of Telegraph Creek, British Columbia, about 67 km (42 mi) southwest of Dease Lake, British Columbia, and about 210 km (130 mi) east of Juneau, Alaska. The Tuya River's watershed's land cover is classified as 35.7% shrubland, 31.4% conifer forest, 14.0% mixed forest, 7.2% herbaceous, and small amounts of other cover.

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References