well as pit excavation, were utilized to remove gravels. The main channel 

 of the creek was apparently not disturbed at the downstream area. Clearing 

 and removal of vegetation and overburden were required in the downstream 

 area. Dikes were also constructed, possibly to protect the integrity of 

 the main channel and prevent its spreading into the mined area. Various 

 aspects of this site are shown in Figures 14, 39, 54, 68a, 68b, 69, 75, and 

 81. 



Kuparuk River. The Kuparuk River is a large, braided river which origi- 

 nates in the Brooks Range foothills and crosses the Arctic Coastal Plain 

 before discharging into the Beaufort Sea. The study site is located approxi- 

 mately 9 km upstream from the mouth of the Kuparuk River at an elevation of 

 less than 10 m. 



The material site was developed by scraping unvegetated mid-channel 

 and lateral bars within the active floodplain of the Kuparuk River. Approx- 

 imately 41,300 m of gravel was removed from 14 ha between April and August 

 1969 to provide material for drill site pads, roadways, and airstrips near 

 the site. The site was scraped to within or slightly below the existing 

 water table. The 5-m incised floodplain bank was protected with a gravel 

 fill ramp. Sma II mounds of stockpiled material were noted within the materi- 

 al site. Various aspects of this site are shown in Figure 51. 



Skeetercake Creek. Skeetercake Creek is a small, meandering stream 

 which originates in the northern edge of the foothi I Is of the Brooks Range 

 at an elevation of about 300 m and flows approximately 40 km to its conflu- 

 ence with the Toolik River. The study area lies at an elevation of about 

 160 m, approximately 15 km upstream from the confluence. 



Material removed from Skeetercake Creek was used for oil drilling 

 operations. Gravel extraction at the site was accomplished during December 

 1965 by scraping 10 ha of floodplain deposits on three consecutive meanders. 

 Approximately 38,000 m of gravel were reportedly removed, much of which 

 apparently was not used; the unused material was pushed into large stock- 

 piles which still remain in the upstream gravel removal area. 



47 



