hills with moderately steep slopes surround the flat-bottomed West Fork 

 Tolovana River valley and the narrow McManus Creek valley (Figure 89). Lower, 

 gently rolling hills border one side of the Tanana River, while the opposite 



Figure 89. McManus Creek valley. 



side consists of a broad, flat plain. Rock outcrops and barren soil are usual- 

 ly confined to the tops of the higher foothills surrounding these sites. 



Pheian Creek, however, is located in a mountainous river valley (Figure 

 90). The valley walls are steep and angular with rugged ridges of rock out- 

 crop. Mountain glaciers provide added visual interest to the surrounding 

 landscape. 



The Tanana River and Pheian Creek flow in braided configuration. The 

 Tanana River has numerous gravel bars and vegetated islands in the active 

 floodplain that contrast with each other in visual appearance. On the other 

 hand, Pheian Creek has a gravel floodplain with little contrasting vegetation. 

 The contiguous gray-white color sharply defines the Pheian Creek valley floor. 



301 



