Selman Creek

Selman Creek
Selman Creek is located in British Columbia
Selman Creek
Mouth of Selman Creek
Location
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
DistrictRange 2 Coast Land District
Physical characteristics
SourcePacific Ranges
 • locationCoast Mountains
 • coordinates51°28′35″N 126°25′34″W / 51.47639°N 126.42611°W / 51.47639; -126.42611[3]
 • elevation1,285 m (4,216 ft)[4][2]
MouthMachmell River
 • coordinates
51°32′43″N 126°21′2″W / 51.54528°N 126.35056°W / 51.54528; -126.35056[1][2]
 • elevation
635 m (2,083 ft)[4]
Length13 km (8.1 mi)[5]
Basin features
Topo mapNTS 92M9 Machmell River

Selman Creek is a tributary of Pashleth Creek in the Machmell River watershed in central coast part of the province of British Columbia, Canada.[1][6] It flows generally north for roughly 13 km (8.1 mi)[5] to join Pashleth Creek. The mouth of Selman Creek is located about 95 km (59 mi) south of Bella Coola, about 185 km (115 mi) north of Campbell River, and about 342 km (213 mi) northwest of Vancouver.

Selman Creek is in the traditional territory of Wuikinuxv people.[7] As of 2025, the Wuikinuxv Nation is in stage 5 of treaty negotiations with the Province of British Columbia for lands including the entire Machmell River watershed.[8][9]

Geography

Selman Creek originates from glaciers on high peaks southwest of Mount Silverthrone near the Ha-Iltzuk Icefield. Its source is just north of the source of the Wakeman River, which lies in the Catto Creek Conservancy just south of the Machmell–Wakeman watershed divide. Selman Creek flows north through Selman Lake.[10] After Selman Lake the creek flows northeast and north to Pashleth Creek passing east of Mount Tran.[11] In turn Pashleth Creek joins the Machmell River, which flows west to Owikeno Lake which drains into the fjord Rivers Inlet via the short Wannock River.[2][12]

Geology

Selman Creek flows from the inferred northern boundary of the Silverthrone Caldera, a 20 km (12 mi) wide volcanic structure whose older lava and pyroclastic deposits have been deeply dissected by erosion. The creek flows over basaltic andesite that issued from a cluster of vents at the northern end of the caldera.[13][14] The basaltic andesite is part of a 25 km (16 mi) long lava flow that postdates the current topography. It travelled northwest through Pashleth Creek valley into the Machmell River and is one of the youngest volcanic features of the Silverthrone Caldera.[13][15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Selman Creek". BC Geographical Names.
  2. ^ a b c "Toporama (on-line map and search)". Atlas of Canada. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  3. ^ Derived from BCGNIS, topographic maps, and Toporama
  4. ^ a b Elevation derived from ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model, using GeoLocator, BCGNIS coordinates, and topographic maps.
  5. ^ a b Length measured using BCGNIS coordinates, topographic maps, and Toporama
  6. ^ "Selman Creek". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
  7. ^ "We Are The Wuikinuxv Nation" (PDF). University of British Columbia. 2011. p. 8. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  8. ^ "Wuikinuxv Agreement in Principle and Appendices" (PDF). pp. 197–199. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Wuikinuxv Nation". BC Treaty Commission. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  10. ^ "Selman Lake". BC Geographical Names.
  11. ^ "Mount Tran". BC Geographical Names.
  12. ^ British Columbia Road & Recreation Atlas. Benchmark Maps. 2024. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-926806-87-7.
  13. ^ a b Souther, J. G. (1990). Wood, Charles A.; Kienle, Jürgen (eds.). Volcanoes of North America: United States and Canada. Cambridge University Press. pp. 138, 139. ISBN 0-521-43811-X.
  14. ^ "92 M/9" (Topographic map). Machmell River, Coast Land District Range 2, British Columbia (1 ed.). 1:50,000. A 721. Department of Energy, Mines and Resources. 1980. ASIN B07MBPGQ33.
  15. ^ "Silverthrone Caldera". Catalogue of Canadian Volcanoes. Natural Resources Canada. March 10, 2009. Archived from the original on December 12, 2010.