river formed at Gauley Bridge, West Virginia, U.S., by the confluence of the New and Gauley rivers. It flows 97 miles (156 km) in a northwesterly direction to enter the Ohio River at Point Pleasant. It is navigable via dams and locks to Kanawha Falls, 30 miles (50 km) upstream from Charleston, which itself is located at the point where the Kanawha is joined by the Elk River. The Kanawha River valley has extensive deposits of salt brines, from which chlorine, bromine, calcium, magnesium, and potash have been extracted; there also are natural-gas and oil wells. In addition to Charleston, other major towns along the river include South Charleston, Belle, Nitro, and Dunbar.