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1952 Map of Noatak C-5

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Noatak C-5
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1974
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1974

About this map

Kivalina occupies a narrow coastal threshold where the Wulik River meets the Chukchi Sea at the Singauk Entrance. This 1952 Army Map Service survey, later updated by the Geological Survey, reveals a highly dynamic landscape of barrier spits and tidal lagoons, including Kivalina Lagoon and the expansive Imikruk Lagoon. The coastal topography is defined by features like Singigrak Spit and a series of triangulation stations, such as Kivalina VABM 8, which provided essential control points for early photogrammetric mapping in the Alaskan Arctic.

Inland, the terrain gives way to a network of meandering waterways and marshes. The Omikviorok River and New Heart Creek drain into the interconnected lagoon systems, while a Winter Trail provides the primary overland route along the coastline, passing by the village Landing Strip. The map documents the intricate transition between the freshwater drainage of the tundra and the salt waters of the Arctic Ocean.