Black River (Jamaica)
Rio Negro | |
---|---|
Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica | |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• coordinates | 18°11′22″N 77°41′00″W / 18.189553°N 77.683307°W |
• elevation | 141 m (463 ft) |
Mouth | Caribbean Sea |
• location | Black River (town) |
• coordinates | 18°01′18″N 77°50′49″W / 18.021624°N 77.846949°W |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
Length | 53.4 km (33.2 mi) |
Basin size | 166 km2 (64 sq mi) |
Width | |
• minimum | 5 metres (16 ft) |
• average | 50 metres (160 ft) |
• maximum | 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) |
Depth | |
• minimum | 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) |
• average | 27 metres (89 ft) |
• maximum | 92 metres (302 ft) |
Discharge | |
• location | Black River Bay |
• average | 176 m3/s (6,200 cu ft/s) |
• minimum | 20 m3/s (710 cu ft/s) |
• maximum | 4,200 m3/s (150,000 cu ft/s) |
Basin features | |
River system | Dendritic |
Tributaries | |
• left | Y.S River |
• right |
|
Protection status | |
Official name | Black River Lower Morass |
Designated | 7 October 1997 |
Reference no. | 919[1] |
The Black River is one of the longest rivers in
Sources
The river's source is the
Route
Immediately after its emergence, the river meanders gently through the cane fields of the Appleton Estate. It receives a boost from the
Passing through Maggotty, the river runs alongside the road and goes down several small waterfalls and the Black River Gorge, located in the
is also known locally as the ‘Jesus bird,’ as it gives the impression of walking on water when it wades among the floating leaves of aquatic plants.The Lower Morass consists of shallow estuaries, marshland and mangrove swamps, providing a rich ecological environment for a broad range of fish, birds and other creatures including lobsters, mangrove snappers, snook and mullet.[3] Here the river is joined by the YS river[4] making the Lower Morass the largest (14,085 acres) swamp environment in the Caribbean. American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) inhabit the swamps,[3] but the population has declined, due mainly to loss of habitat as heavy draining for agricultural or tourist destroys their nesting places. Birds found here include egrets, herons and ospreys. The mangrove trees of the Lower Morass are sometimes spectacular with aerial roots sent out like spiders' legs, sometimes dropping 40 feet into the river.
The river reaches the sea (18°01′18″N 77°50′49″W / 18.021624°N 77.846949°W) on the eastern edge of the town of the same name.[4]
Commercial use
Logwood tree trunks were floated down the Black River to the port to be shipped to England for making of dyes.[3]
Nowadays, motor boats take tourists on excursions from Black River town into the lower reaches.[3]
References
- ^ "Black River Lower Morass". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ "Jamaica Black River, About the River". Retrieved 7 December 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f Jamaica National Heritage Trust - Black River Archived March 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Directorate of Overseas Surveys1:50,000 map of Jamaica sheet D, 1959.
- ^ Fishbase.org