Natural History
The area is part of the Arctic, Interior and Hudson Platforms. Deposit characteristics are coal seam.
The river's drainage basin includes the area between Great Bear Lake and the Arctic Ocean. Its middle course supports a wide channel for 65 mi (105 km). The river's stretches include a broad bedrock valley, bedrock canyons, and a delta into the Arctic Ocean. Its tundra has a permafrost layer 2 m (6 ft 7 in) below the surface which minimizes groundwater flow and storage, forcing rainstorm flow directly into the river.
Flora along the river is characterized by typical tundra vegetation such as sedge and lupine meadows, and some willow patches along the lower Hornaday. While a dense cover of spruce is found along the nearby Horton River, there are no spruce along the Hornaday.
Arctic charr, plentiful, are monitored by the Paulatuk community. Commercial fishing occurred between 1968 through 1986, sports fishing occurred in 1977 and 1978, while currently, the Hornaday is only a food fishery. Other fish species with the river include Arctic cisco, Arctic grayling, broad whitefish, burbot, longnose sucker, and nine-spined stickleback. Capelin are an abundant food source for the fish species.
The Bluenose Barren-ground Caribou herd's calving grounds are located west of the Hornaday River, south to the Little Hornaday River.
Read more about this topic: Hornaday River
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