International Journal of
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Research Article Volume 10 Issue 2
Morphology of Spearfish Creek, Lawrence County, South Dakota, USA
Kali A Roduner, , Abigail Domagall, Jill M Voorhees, Michael E Barnes
Received: March 05, 2026 | Published: March 25, 2026
Citation: Roduner KA, Domagall A, Voorhees JM, et al. Morphology of Spearfish Creek, Lawrence County, South Dakota, USA. Int J Hydro. 2026;10(2):53-62. DOI: 10.15406/ijh.2026.10.00427
Abstract
Spearfish Creek is a 60-kilometer stream in the Black Hills of South Dakota, USA. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bathymetry and substrate of the creek through the city of Spearfish. Four, 400-meter reaches located within the city limits of Spearfish were sampled along 51 equally-spaced transects. Bathymetric charts were produced using Ordinary Kriging interpolation of measured and synthetic cross-sections. Grain size and cementation maps were produced using the Empirical Bayesian Kriging method in ArcGIS Pro. Mean (SE) wetted width significantly decreased going downstream, from 10.0 (0.2) m at the most upstream site to 6.9 (0.1) m at the farthest downstream site. Bankfull width followed a similar pattern with minimum and maximum wetted width values of were 1.4 m and 20.5 m, respectively. Mean depth significantly increased from 21 (1) cm to 32 (0.1) cm from most upstream to the farthest downstream site. Grain size was predominantly cobble in the three upstream sites, while the most downstream site was predominantly gravel. Mean cementation rate was approximately 56% and was highest in the upstream sites. Cementation was wide-spread and was typically associated with cobble substrate. Bathymetric charts indicated that the bed form followed a typical trend, showing deeper areas in the middle of the stream and graduating to shallower on the banks. Grainsize maps followed a similar pattern to depth, graduating from larger sizes in the middle to finer grains along the bank. The results of this study provide a foundation for future monitoring efforts, geomorphic assessments, and restoration planning.
Keywords: spearfish creek, bathymetry, substrate, cementation
©2026 Roduner, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.