2020 Map of Ikpikpuk River D-5 SW

About this map

Oumalik River meanders across this Arctic landscape, creating a complex network of oxbows and channels within the North Slope's tundra. This 2020 USGS survey of the Oumalik River basin reveals a terrain defined by thermokarst activity, where dozens of unnamed lakes and ponds fill the depressions between low-lying ridges. The drainage patterns shown here reflect the seasonal dynamics of the Alaskan permafrost, illustrating how the river system continuously reshapes the surrounding wetlands. While largely devoid of permanent human structures or named settlements, the map provides a precise record of the hydrologic shifts and topography in the remote interior of the North Slope Borough, as demarcated by the Public Land Survey System grids of t6n r16w, t6n r15w, t5n r16w, and t5n r15w.