The River - The Journey to the Atlantic
The Amazon’s headwaters begin in the Andes
amid the remains of the ancient lake. Through a series of tributaries, the
water pours into the Amazon River. The powerful, fast moving portion of
the Amazon, falling 16,000 ft within its first 620 miles, soon gives way
to a meandering stream that wanders across the flat basin.
The varied terrain allows for three basic types of water that float along
the path: Whitewater, clearwater, and blackwater.
The whitewater rivers are a dirty,
yellowish color. The color is caused by large accumulations of silt and
other sediment in the water. The water comes from the Andes, washing off
the soil nutrients from the young rocks.
Clearwater rivers are a blue-green
color and they carry little sediment. The highlands that the clearwater
rivers flow from are made of hard rock and not easily eroded.
Finally, the blackwater rivers
are the color of dark tea. They have little sediment like the clearwater
rivers because the rocks they wash over are so old that they have been leached
of minerals.
The different types of river meet at various sections
along the way, making interesting patterns as they pass by each other, side
by side, with different colors. While it may seem like a small difference
to us, it makes a large difference to the wildlife which are more often
found in whitewater rivers that are full of sediment. |