Article

Horton Plain

Published Online February 7, 2006

Last Edited March 4, 2015

The vegetation is low arctic tundra in the N, dominated by dwarf shrubs and grasses, and woodland in the S, consisting of scattered, stunted spruce with a lichen carpet. The summer range and calving grounds of the large Bluenose caribou herd lie within this region.
Paulatuk, NWT
Paulatuk on Darnley Bay is the only permanent settlement in the area of the Horton Plain, NWT (photo by K.H. Raach/Govt of the NWT).\n

Horton Plain

 Horton Plain, 71 000 km2, is the most northeasterly part of the Interior Plains, extending to Amundsen Gulf on the Beaufort Sea, NWT. It consists of a series of dissected plateaus, generally below 800 m elevation, underlain by flat-lying Palaeozoic sedimentary rocks in the W and by Precambrian sedimentary bedrock in the E. Drainage is provided by 2 scenic rivers, the HORTON and the Hornaday. Among its numerous small lakes, the Bluenose (400 km2) and Horton (166 km2) are noteworthy.

The vegetation is low arctic tundra in the N, dominated by dwarf shrubs and grasses, and woodland in the S, consisting of scattered, stunted spruce with a lichen carpet. The summer range and calving grounds of the large Bluenose caribou herd lie within this region. Paulatuk on Darnley Bay is the only permanent settlement in the area.