This is a picture of the Colorado River near Hoover Dam.
Click on image for full size
C. Alexander
Rivers
Rivers are very important to Earth because they are major forces that shape the landscape. Also, they provide transportation and water for drinking, washing and farming. Rivers can flow on land or underground in deserts and seas.
A river's contribution to the water cycle is that it collects water from the ground and returns it to the ocean. Rivers may come from mountain springs, melting glaciers or lakes.
A delta is where a river meets the sea. A special environment is created when the fresh water from the river mixes with the salty ocean water. This is environment is called estuary.
The longest river is the Nile River in Africa, and the Amazon River in South America carries the most water. The muddiest river is the Yellow River in China.
Last modified August 27, 2008 by Lisa Gardiner.
You might also be interested in:
Scientists are currently tracking the effects of the oil spill on the wetlands of the Louisiana coast. Robert Twilley and Guerry Holm of Louisiana State University (LSU) want to know more about the role
...more
Rivers are very important to Earth because they are major forces that shape the landscape. Also, they provide transportation and water for drinking, washing and farming. Rivers can flow on land or underground
...more
Scientists have built a scale model of a living, meandering river in a lab. From the model they have learned a few things: the importance of vegetation to reinforce the river banks and the importance of
...more
One process which transfers water from the ground back to the atmosphere is evaporation. Evaporation is when water passes from a liquid phase to a gas phase. Rates of evaporation of water depend on things
...more
Have you ever walked along a beach at low tide? Everyone likes to look for uncovered sea shells or the small creatures in leftover puddles of water during low tide. One thing is for sure, low tide can
...more
"People outside Brazil know only the Amazon. . . it's a shame because the Pantanal is a very important ecological place." -- Dr. Maria Pádua, Former Director, Brazil's National Parks The Pantanal wetland
...more
A large oil drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico caught fire and sank in April 2010. Eleven workers were killed and several others injured in the accident. After the oil rig sank, a huge oil slick formed
...more
