12 Amazing Confluences From Around the World
By The World Geography, 26 May 2012.
In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. Sometimes, these places can be very unusual... The confluences below were selected for their dramatic visual contrast - you can see the boundaries, where the two (or three) differently coloured rivers mix to form one larger river.
1. Confluence of the Rhone and Arve Rivers, Switzerland
This is a place of confluence of the rivers Rhona and Arve in Geneva, Switzerland. Here is the Rhona in the left part of the picture (the river has its source from Lake Leman). And in the right part there is the Arve flowing from many glaciers in the Chamonix Valley, and then the river flows to the north-west, flowing into the Rhona at the eastern part of Geneva.
The Arve has higher level of silt in its water than the Rhona has, and that is why we can see clearly the boundary between them.
2. Confluence of the Danube, Inn and Ilz Rivers, Germany
Aerial View of Passau and the Confluence of the Inn (left), Danube (right) and the Ilz river (small river far right)
[source]
Passau is a town in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is known as the Dreiflüssestadt or "City of Three Rivers," because the Danube is joined at Passau by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north.
The Ilz is a relatively small mountain stream and has a blue-ish colour, 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 fortress (now a city museum) on top of the Ilzstadt cliff above the city.
3. Confluence of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi Rivers, India
This is a place of junction of the rivers Alaknanda and Bhagirathi in Devprayag, India. Devprayag is a town in the state of Uttarakhand, India. This is one of the five places of the river Alaknanda junctions, and the place, where the river Ganges is “born” (these two rivers form the Ganges).
The Alaknanda has its source from the bottom of Bhagirath Kharak and Satopanth Glaciers. The river Bhagirathi flows out of Gangotri Glacier. The Alaknanda contributes a significantly larger portion to the flow of the Ganges than the Bhagirathi.
4. Confluence of the Mosel and Rhine Rivers, Germany
In this picture we can see confluence of the Mosel and Rhine Rivers in Koblenz, Germany. Mosel is darker and flows into the Rhine river. The name of the city - Koblenz - in Latin means "confluence".
From the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress (118 meters above the Rhine) visitors have a spectacular view over the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel rivers.
5. Confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers, Utah, USA
The Green River coming in from the right (Canyonlands National Park, Utah) [source]
The Green River, located in the western United States, is the chief tributary of the Colorado River. It is only slightly smaller than the Colorado when the two rivers merge, but typically carries a larger load of silt.
The status of the Green River as a tributary of the Colorado River came about for mainly political reasons. In earlier nomenclature, the Colorado River began at its confluence with the Green River. Above the confluence the Colorado was called the Grand River.
6. Confluence of the Thompson and Fraser Rivers, Canada
The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada.
The Thompson River ends at Lytton where it meets the Fraser River. The contrast is striking as the clear Thompson River water joins with the muddy Fraser.
7. Confluence of the Rio Negro and the Rio Solimoes, 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 (1.2 mi /h) at a temperature of 28°C (82°F), while the Rio Solimões flows between 4 to 6 km per hour (2.5-3.7 mi /h) a temperature of 22°C (72°F).
8. Confluence of the Jialing and Yangtze Rivers, China
This is the junction of the rivers Jialing and Yangtze in Chongqing, China. The river Jialing is transparent, 119 km long river, and its most notable characteristic is its sinuous course. It flows into the river Yangtze in the city of Chongqing.
The colour of Yangtze river comes from the silt that is being carried downstream from the mountains and valleys it passes through. 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.
9. Confluence of the Rio Uruguay and a tributary, Argentina
Confluence of the Rio Uruguay and a tributary, Misiones province, Argentina. Drastically cleared to make way for farming, the tropical rainforest of Argentina is now in some areas a less effective defense against erosion than it was in the past. The heavy rains in the province of Misiones (79 inches, per year) wash the soil and carry off significant quantities of iron-rich earth into the Rio Uruguay, turning the waters a dark, reddish colour. Carried by the river, this sediment is dumped in the estuary of the Rio de la Plata - the largest on Earth - and accumulates in the access channels to the port of Buenos Aires.
10. Confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, Illinois, USA
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.
Ohio River is usually green and Mississippi is brown coloured. The distinct boundary between the two river’s waters indicates that little to no mixing occurs even 5-6 kilometres (3-4 miles) downstream.
11. Confluence of the Drava and Danube Rivers, Croatia
Here is the place where the rivers Drava and Danube meet not far from the city of Osijek, Croatia. Osijek is situated on the right bank of the river Drava, 25 kilometres away from the place of junction of the rivers.
12. Confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers, Pennsylvania, USA
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Monongahela is largely a working river, supporting barge traffic up and down through industrial and mining towns in southwestern Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In contrast, the Allegheny still contains stretches of river that are designated wild and scenic.
Top image: Confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, USA (left), and Confluence of the Danube, Inn and Ilz Rivers, Germany (right)
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