Tinicum Creek

Tinicum Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in Tinicum Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It flows for 6.40 mi from the confluence of its branches, Beaver Creek and Rapp Creek, before entering the river across from Marshall Island. Tinicum Creek and its two branches are part of the federally-designated Lower Delaware National Wild and Scenic River.

Historic crossings of Tinicum Creek include the Frankenfield Covered Bridge and an aqueduct of the Delaware Canal.

Statistics
Tinicum Creek was added to the Geographical Names Information System of the U.S. Geological Survey on September 8, 1979 as identification number 1209346. It is listed in the PA Gazetteer of Streams as identification number 03218. As the largest stream in the northeast corner of Bucks County north of the Tohickon Creek, it boasts a watershed of 24 sqmi and meets its confluence at the Delaware River's 161.60 river mile.

Course
Tinicum Creek rises near Cauffman Hill at the merger of Beaver Creek and Rapp Creek, and meanders, but generally flows southeast for about 1.73 mi, receiving two unnamed tributaries from the left, and one from the right. It, then, abruptly turns to the northwest at the point it receives another tributary from the southeast. Then the creek meanders generally to the northeast for approximately 4.75 mi until it meets its confluence with the Delaware. The stream has a total length of 6.40 mi, the headwaters rises at an elevation of 240 ft, and its mouth is at an elevation of 100 ft, which is a drop of 140 ft. This results in an average slope of 21.875 feet per mile (3.93 meters per kilometer).

Geology

 * Appalachian Highlands Division
 * Piedmont Province
 * Gettysburg-Newark Lowland Section
 * Brunswick Formation
 * Diabase

The Brunswick Formation is a sedimentary layer of rock consisting of mudstone, siltstone, and beds of green, brown, and red-brown shale. Mineralogy consists of argillite and hornfels. About 200 million years ago, magma intruded into the Brunswick and cooled quickly forming a fine grained diabase consisting of primarily labradorite and augite.