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Where
does Sabino Creek originate?
| Streamflow
must originate somewhere. Sabino Creek is fed by
summer monsoon rains and winter snowmelt. A fraction
of this snowmelt and rainwater flows over the rocky
surfaces of the canyon as overland
flow, the flow that is visible to visitors
of the canyon. |
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What visitors cannot see is
the remaining portion of the monsoon
rain and snowmelt that has infiltrated or seeped
into the soil and is moving along underground,
called subsurface
flow. Both overland flow and subsurface
flow are drawn downward by gravity. Overland flows
move much faster and drain toward the basin outlet.
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As smaller channels combine,
the flow becomes greater and greater, forming
Sabino Creek. A portion of the subsurface flow
eventually resurfaces further down the canyon
as springs that contribute to the flow of Sabino
Creek.
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