Cut bank

A cut bank, also known as a river cliff or river-cut cliff, is the outside bank of a water channel (stream), which is continually undergoing erosion. Cut banks are found in abundance along mature or meandering streams, they are located on the outside of a stream bend, known as a meander, opposite the slip-off slope on the inside of the bend. They are shaped much like a small cliff, and are formed by the erosion of soil as the stream collides with the river bank. As opposed to a point bar which is an area of deposition, a cut bank is an area of erosion.

Typically, cut banks are nearly vertical and often expose the roots of nearby plant life. Often, particularly during periods of high rainfall and higher-than average water levels, trees and poorly placed buildings can fall into the stream due to mass wasting events. Given enough time, the combination of erosion along cut banks and deposition along point bars can lead to the formation of an oxbow lake.

Not only are cut banks steep and unstable, they are also the area of a stream where the water is flowing the fastest at a higher pressure and often deeper, making them rather dangerous. Geologically speaking, this is known as an area of high-energy.

Cut Bank, Montana

Cut Bank is a city in and the county seat of Glacier County, Montana, United States, located just east-south-east of the "cut bank" (gorge) geographical feature which formed canyon-like along the eponymously named Cut Bank Creek river. The population was 2,919 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Cut Bank is located at 48°38′5″N 112°19′52″W / 48.63472°N 112.33111°W / 48.63472; -112.33111 (48.634801, −112.331090).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.99 square miles (2.56 km²), all of it land.

The city is located 30 miles south of the Canadian border. The name of the city comes from the cut bank (gorge)— a scenic hazard to navigation and a geologic feature of the same name. The Cut Bank Creek river is spanned cliffs to cliffs by a scenic elevated railway bridge high above the canyon floor less than a mile from the edge of the town.

Demographics

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 2,869 people, 1,249 households and 739 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,898.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,118.9/km²). There were 1,441 housing units at an average density of 1,455.6 per square mile (562.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.7% White, 0.2% African American, 19.0% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 5.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population.

Cut Bank (Amtrak station)

Cut Bank, Montana is a station stop for the Amtrak Empire Builder in Cut Bank, Montana and an important regional railway freight yard for BNSF Railway, which operates several grain collection elevators in the yard. The station site is owned by Amtrak, The adjacent yard, trackage and signals are owned by BNSF Railway. The station is less than a mile from Cut Bank Creek gorge called merely "Cut Bank" giving the county seat, station, and yard their eponymous names.

The city, in conjunction with Amtrak and current track owner BNSF Railway, recently repainted their historic train station into the traditional Great Northern Railway depot colors. The Great Northern was the original owner of the station and tracks.

Notes and references

External links