The Slab Fork is a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Guyandotte River

Guyandotte River

The Guyandotte River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 166 mi long, in southwestern West Virginia in the United States. It was named after the French term for the Wendat Native Americans...

, 15.1 miles (24.3 km) long, in southern West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Via the Guyandotte and Ohio

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

 rivers, it is part of the watershed

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 of the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

, draining an area of 35.36 square miles (91.6 km²) in a mainly rural area on the unglaciated

Glacier

A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...

 portion of the Allegheny Plateau

Allegheny Plateau

The Allegheny Plateau is a large dissected plateau area in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern and western West Virginia, and eastern Ohio...

.

The Slab Fork rises in Raleigh County

Raleigh County, West Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 79,220 people, 31,793 households, and 22,096 families residing in the county. The population density was 130 people per square mile . There were 35,678 housing units at an average density of 59 per square mile...

, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Lester

Lester, West Virginia

Lester is a town in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 322 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lester is located at ....

 and 2.5 miles (4 km) west of Sophia

Sophia, West Virginia

Sophia is an incorporated town in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. It was incorporated in 1912. The population was 1,301 at the 2000 census. Sophia was the hometown of the late U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd....

, and initially flows generally southwestward through the communities of Slab Fork

Slab Fork, West Virginia

Slab Fork is an unincorporated community in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States with a population of 202. Slab Fork is located along a stream of the same name and West Virginia Route 54...

 and Hotchkiss

Hotchkiss, West Virginia

Hotchkiss is an unincorporated community in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States, along the Slab Fork and West Virginia Route 54....

 into eastern Wyoming County

Wyoming County, West Virginia

Wyoming County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 23,796. Its county seat is Pineville. Wyoming County was created in 1850 from Logan County and named for the Delaware Indian word meaning "large plains."-Geography:According to the U.S...

, where it turns southward and flows through the communities of Maben

Maben, West Virginia

Maben is an unincorporated community in Wyoming County, West Virginia, United States, along the Slab Fork and West Virginia Route 54....

, Pierpont, and Otsego

Otsego, West Virginia

Otsego is an unincorporated community in Wyoming County, West Virginia, United States, along the Slab Fork and West Virginia Route 54....

, to the city of Mullens

Mullens, West Virginia

Mullens is a city in Wyoming County, West Virginia. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 1,769.Located in a valley along the Guyandotte River within a mountainous region of southern West Virginia, the town was nearly destroyed by flash flooding in July 2001...

, where it flows into the Guyandotte River from the north. Between Slab Fork and Mullens, the stream is paralleled by West Virginia Route 54.

According to 1992 data from the United States Geological Survey

United States Geological Survey

The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...

, approximately 95% of the Slab Fork watershed was forested; approximately 2% was used for agriculture; and approximately 1% was used for commercial or mining purposes.