Roaring Brook begins in Harris Pond in Ross Township. It flows for a few miles in a shallow valley before exiting Ross Township. Upon leaving Ross Township, the stream enters Hunlock Township. It gradually turns southeast, passing by several ponds or small lakes before turning south-southeast flowing through the community of Roaring Brook. A short distance downstream of Roaring Brook, the stream receives its only named tributary, Lewis Run, from the. The stream then turns southwest for a short distance and enters a much deeper and narrower valley. It this valley, it turns south-southeast for more than a mile before it reaches its confluence with Hunlock Creek. Roaring Brook joins Hunlock Creek upstream of its mouth.
Hydrology, geography, and geology
The elevation near the mouth of Roaring Brook is above sea level. The elevation of the stream's source is between above sea level. The surficial geology in the vicinity of Roaring Brook mainly features a glacial or resedimented till known as Wisconsinan Till. However, there are areas of bedrock consisting ofsandstone and shale around the edges of the stream's valley. There is a large patch of Wisconsinan Ice-Contact Stratified Drift in the stream's lower reaches and a much smaller patch of alluvium near its headwaters. There is also a sand and gravel pit along the creek. This pit is the only such pit in the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Sweet Valley. Roaring Brook is in the Susquehanna Valley Section of the ridge and valley physiographic province. A strip mine is located along Roaring Brook in its lower reaches. There are no instances of point-source pollution in the watershed of Roaring Brook.
Watershed
The watershed of Roaring Brook has an area of. The stream's mouth is in the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Nanticoke. However, its source is in the quadrangle of Sweet Valley. The stream also passes through the quadrangle of Harveys Lake. Roaring Brook is classified as a Least Disturbed Stream by the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. Such streams are described as "high-quality stream segments" that "ideally have little disturbance from human influences and demonstrate natural ecological function". At most 0.75 percent of the watershed of Roaring Brook is on developed land. No more than 28 percent of the watershed is on cropland, of which no more than 6 percent is row crops and no more than 22 percent is non-row crops. At least 70 percent of the watershed is forested. No more than 1 percent of the riparian area of Roaring Brook is developed. No more than 20 percent is agricultural land and at least 75 percent is forested. There are fewer than ten road crossings in the watershed. The headwaters of Roaring Brook are in a 30-acre lake known as Harris Pond. It is dammed by the Harris Pond Dam, which is made from earth, concrete, and masonry. It is approximately high and long. As of 1981, the dam is in relatively good condition.
