Mantaro River
Mantaro River | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | Peru |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Lake Junin |
Mouth | Ene River |
• coordinates | 12°15′46″S 73°58′44″W / 12.26278°S 73.97889°W |
Length | 739 km (459 mi) |
Basin size | 15,410 km2 (5,950 sq mi) |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• right | Cunas River, Ichhu River, Kachimayu |
The Mantaro River (
Geography
The river nominally has its source at
The river runs generally southeast through south-central Peru. Its source, Lake Junin is 4,082.7 m in elevation, while its mouth lies at a mere 440m above sea level. This gives the river an incredibly steep gradient of nearly 5m/km, sufficient to carve the impressive Mantaro Valley. This valley is the most important food source for the capital Lima.
The Mantaro Hydroelectric Complex is located in the
The first complete paddling descent of the river from the source was accomplished by Rocky Contos and James Duesenberry in May 2012.
Source of the Amazon
In 1971, an expedition led by the National Geographic Society cited the Apurímac River as the designated headwaters of the Amazon River, with a follow-up expedition in 2000 confirming the connected Lake Ticlla Cocha as the furthest upstream Amazon extension.[5] The definition for the distinction used at the time of survey was based on absolute length which the tributary added to the river, given a continuous and year-round flow of water. With the Tablachaca Dam built in 1974, a portion of the Mantaro River suffers a dry spell for five months of the year, previously excluding it from the list of source eligibility. However, research published in 2014 challenged this existing definition, and used advanced imaging and topographic data to establish the Mantaro as the true longest upstream source feeding into the Amazon Basin.[6] The new measurements add approximately 75–92 km to the original Amazon River length.
See also
Notes
- ^ Lee, Jane. "Where Does the Amazon River Begin?". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
- ^ "Complejo Hidroenergético del Mantaro" (in Spanish). ElectroPeru. Archived from the original on 2011-10-01.
- ^ "First Descent of the Amazon Expedition". Archived from the original on 11 February 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- ^ "Rio Mantaro". Archived from the original on 30 April 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- ^ Lee, Jane. "Where Does the Amazon River Begin?". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
- from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2015.