2014 Map of Wainwright B-1 SE

About this map

The Mikigealiak River meanders across this Arctic landscape, carving a subtle path through the water-logged terrain of the North Slope. This 2014 survey documents a characteristic pattern of thermokarst lakes and ponded water, common to the permafrost-underlain tundra. The most significant of these water bodies is Takrak Lake in the southeastern portion of the map. Surveyed by the U.S. Geological Survey, the area is subdivided by the Public Land Survey System, including portions of T12N R29W and T11N R28W. The map reflects a landscape almost entirely defined by its hydrology, where small, unnamed thaw lakes outnumber the few permanent geographic features, illustrating the shifting, saturated nature of the Alaskan coastal plain.