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Rivers (along with streams, reservoirs and wetlands), host less than 1% of the total volume of fresh water on Earth. Therefore, they are a key piece for people's water supply and consumption. However, its quality and conservation is threatened by human activities. It is possible that ignorance has led us to this situation, because: what exactly do we know about them? Have you ever wondered what the course of a river is like or what is called the amount of water that a river carries? What types of rivers are there? How important are rivers?
If you want to know more about this topic and solve these doubts, you can continue reading this article by Ecologist Verde about the parts of the river and their characteristics, where you will learn about the parts that make them up, but also about what is the flow of a river and what is the bed of a river. You can also check the classification made of them and learn about some interesting examples of rivers.
What is a river
Rivers are defined as surface freshwater bodies that move or flow through physical channels, called channels, from places of higher altitude to places of lower altitude due to gravity itself. In addition, it should also be noted that the route of river water is called River's course. These freshwater currents mainly originate in high mountain areas due to the accumulation of rainwater, water from springs, melting and melting snow.
Although, as in theory, in our mind, we relate rivers to bodies of surface water, it is true that there are systems of underground rivers, whose origin takes place in the karst processes on the ground.
Finally, in relation to river characteristics, It is worth highlighting the capacity they have to modify and model the landscape through the processes of erosion, transport of materials and sedimentation (deposition).
In this other article you can learn more about how rivers are formed.
Parts of rivers
Having clarified what a river is, we now answer the main question about what are the parts of a river, as well as what are the characteristics of the parts of a river. Along the longitudinal profile of a river can be distinguished 3 parts or sections:
Upper course of the river
Close to the source of the river in the mountain areas with high slopes. In this course the river waters have a low flow and circulate at high speed, simulating a torrent, so there is a high capacity for erosion and transport of sediments.
Middle course of the river
In this part of the basin, with less slope, the transport and accumulation of sediments predominate. In this section the river has a greater amount of flow and its waters slow down, this being less than in the previous section, the upper course.
Lower course of the river
In the vicinity of the mouth, the waters of the river circulate at low speed. Sedimentation predominates and, when the rivers flow, they can form estuaries, deltas or estuaries.
Plus others elements of a river They are: the source of the same, its channel and the margins, among others.
Types of rivers
According to their period of activity and, therefore, the dynamics and origin of the flow (which refers to the amount of transported water) rivers can be classified into:
- Perennial rivers: located in areas of abundant rainfall or with good groundwater supply (from groundwater).
- Seasonal rivers: Typical of high mountain areas, they are typical of the Mediterranean, where the seasons are very different and wet and dry periods predominate. That is why they have strong ups and downs in flow.
- Transitory rivers: located in areas with a humid or desert climate, they present an irregular flow due to the scarce annual rainfall, which means that they can remain without water for long periods and also suffer violent floods caused by storm discharges and torrential rains.
- Allochthonous rivers: they cross arid areas, but their water comes from more rainy and humid areas. Examples: River Nile and River Okavango (both African).
Alluding to the “braiding method” created by Rust (1978), according to its geomorphology, taking into account the sinuosity and the number of internal bars or sandy deposits that they have (multiplicity), the following are distinguished:
- Straight rivers: with a single channel and channel, they are infrequent and unstable. They stand out for their low sinuosity and their high slopes, which favor the processes of dragging and transporting materials.
- Anastomosed rivers: with high sinuosity, they are subdivided into several channels, similar to braided rivers, forming semi-permanent stable fluvial islands. They are usually located in areas of low slope, thus predominating the sedimentation processes.
- Braided or braided rivers: They present branches or arms that join and separate their course, drawing a braid. They have surplus solid cargo (gravel, sand, and block) and are common in areas with extreme weather conditions.
- Meandering rivers: They are stable rivers that curve into meanders, on the banks of which erosive and sedimentary processes predominate. They present alluvial plains that favor flooding processes.
River names
On the one hand, based on the distance between the source and the mouth of a river, between the longest rivers in the world stand out:
- Amazon
- Nile
- Yangtze
- Mississippi
- Yenisei
- Yellow River
- Obi
- Mekong
- Congo
- Amur
On the other hand, mightiest rivers in the world are:
- Amazon
- Congo
- Yangtze
- Orinoco
- Parana
- Yenisei
- Brahmaputra
To finish, these are some of the rivers of Spain:
- There are 8 main rivers: Miño, Ebro, Duero, Tajo, Júcar, Guadiana, Segura and Guadalquivir.
- The longest rivers are: Ebro, Guadiana, Guadalquivir, Júcar and Genil.
After having discussed aspects about the parts of the rivers, the types that exist and more details, we encourage you to continue learning with these other Green Ecologist articles about Why rivers and lakes are important and What is a tributary. Also, here below we leave you an interesting and short video about why river water is sweet.
If you want to read more articles similar to Parts of the river and their characteristicsWe recommend that you enter our Nature Curiosities category.
