When Rivers Collide - 10 Incredible Confluences Around the World —
In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of
water. Known also as a conflux, it refers either to the point where a
tributary joins a larger river, called the main stem, or where two
streams meet to become the source of a river of a new name, such as the
confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania creating the Ohio River. The term is also used to describe
the meeting of tidal or other non-riverine bodies of water, such as two
canals or a canal and a lake. Below is a collection of 10 incredible
confluences around the world. For more, there is a fascinating list of
notable confluences on Wikipedia
that I recommend you check out. The confluences below were selected for
their dramatic visual contrast. Thus, culturally significant
confluences such as the Sangam near Allahabad, India, where the sacred
rivers Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati meet to create one of the holiest
places in Hinduism, were not included for this reason. Please enjoy the
list below and let us know of any other interesting confluences you are
aware of. Perhaps we can do a follow-up post if there is interest!
01. Confluence of the Rhone and Arve Rivers in Geneva, Switzerland.
Photo Link
In this incredible photograph we
see the confluence of the Rhone and Arve rivers in Geneva, Switzerland.
The river on the left is the Rhone, which is just exiting Lake Lehman.
The river on the right is the Arve, which receives water from the many
glaciers of the Chamonix valley (mainly the Mer de Glace) before flowing
north-west into the Rhone on the west side of Geneva, where its much
higher level of silt brings forth a striking contrast between the two
rivers. Via Link
02. Confluence of the Ilz, Danube, and Inn Rivers in Passau, Germany.
Photo Link
The
Ilz is a relatively small mountain stream and has a blue-ish color
while the Inn is a fairly large river flowing in from Salzburg, Austria
at the top. The Inn River has more water flow than the Danube, yet
flowing away from the city the three combined rivers are called
Danube. This photo is taken from the Oberhaus-fortress (now a city
museum) on top of the Ilzstadt cliff above the city of Passau in Lower
Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the Dreiflüssestadt or “City of
Three Rivers”.
03. Confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers at Cairo, IL, USA.
Photo Link
The
Ohio River becomes a tributary of the Mississippi River directly south
of Cairo, Illinois, a small city on the spit of land where the rivers
converge (at center of this astronaut photograph). Brown, sediment-laden
water flowing generally northeast to south from the Ohio River is
distinct from the green and relatively sediment-poor water of the
Mississippi River (flowing northwest to south).
The
color of the rivers in this image is reversed from the usual condition
of a green Ohio and a brown Mississippi. This suggests that the very
high rainfall in December 2005 over the Appalachians and the
northeastern United States has led to greater-than-normal amounts of
sediment in the rivers and streams of the Ohio River watershed. The
distinct boundary between the two river’s waters indicates that little
to no mixing occurs even 5-6 kilometers (3-4 miles) downstream. Via Link
04. Confluence of the Jialing and Yangtze Rivers in Chongqing, China.
Photo Link
Jialing
River on the right stretches 119 kilometers. In the city of Chongqing
it falls into Yangtze River. The clean water of Jialing River meets the
brownish yellow water of Yangtze River. The Yangtze becomes more
powerful after it absorbs the water of Jialing as it continues its path,
passing through the Three Gorges and stretching thousands of miles.
05. Confluence of the Rio Negro and the Rio Solimoes near Manaus, Brazil.
The
Meeting of Waters is the confluence between the Rio Negro, a river with
dark (almost black coloured) water, and the sandy-coloured Amazon River
or Rio Solimões, as it is known the upper section of the Amazon in
Brazil. For 6 km (3.7 mi) the river’s waters run side by side without
mixing. It is one of the main tourist attractions of Manaus, Brazil.
This
phenomenon is due to the differences in temperature, speed and water
density of the two rivers. The Rio Negro flows at near 2 km per hour at a
temperature of 28°C, while the Rio Solimões flows between 4 to 6 km per
hour a temperature of 22°C. Via Link
06. Confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers in Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA.
The Green River is a very long
stream forming in the Wind River Range of the Rocky Mountains in Bridger
Teton National Forest of Sublette County, Wyoming. It winds its way
south into Utah, turning east into Colorado and finally back south down
into Utah where it terminates at the confluence of the Colorado River in
Canyonlands National Park in San Juan County. Via Link
07. Confluence of the Thompson and Fraser Rivers in Lytton, BC, Canada.
Photo Link
The Thompson River ends here in
Lytton, British Columbia, Canada where it meets the Fraser River. The
contrast is striking as the clear Thompson River water joins with the
muddy Fraser.
08. Confluence of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi Rivers in Devprayag, India.
Devprayag
is a town and a nagar panchayat (municipality) in Tehri Garhwal
district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is one of the Panch
Prayag (five confluences) of Alaknanda River and it is where the Ganges
River is formed. The Alaknanda rises at the confluence and feet of the
Satopanth and Bhagirath Kharak glaciers in Uttarakhand. The headwaters
of the Bhagirathi are formed at Gaumukh, at the foot of the Gangotri
glacier and Khatling glaciers in the Garhwal Himalaya. These two sacred
rivers join to form the Ganges (Ganga) in Devprayag. Via Link
09. Confluece of the Mosel and Rhine Rivers in Koblenz, Germany.
Photo Link
In the German city of Koblenz,
the Mosel flows into the Rhine river. The Name “Koblenz” itself has its
origin in the latin name “Confluentes”. Via Link
10. Confluence of the Drava and Danuve Rivers near Osijek, Croatia.
Photo Link
Located on the right bank of the
river Drava 25 km upstream of its confluence with the Danube is the city
of Osijek, Croatia. Via Link
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