The longest river in the world is the Nile, and the most full-flowing (with the largest amount of water) is the Amazon. However, both of them are far from the most ancient. For example, the Nile appeared 30 million years ago, and the Amazon even later – 9 million years ago. But which of the rivers existing today appeared earlier than all the others? Let's say right away that accurately determining the age of rivers, especially over a long geological period, is quite a difficult task. Therefore, scientists are debating about the most ancient river. But we can say for sure that it appeared more than 100 million years earlier than dinosaurs.
The oldest river on Earth that still exists today appeared 100 million years earlier than dinosaurs. Photo source: travel.yandex.ru
Contents
- 1 How scientists determine the age of rivers
- 2 The oldest river on Earth
- 3 The oldest river in Europe
- 4 The oldest river in Russia
How Scientists Determine the Age of Rivers
To determine the age of a river, scientists take into account a number of different factors. First, geologists study the surrounding environmental features, such as mountain ranges. They also pay attention to the sediments in the riverbed and study its meanders. Remember that meanders are features of the riverbed that can change the landscape due to hundreds of millions of years of erosion.
However, even after studying all these features and a number of other factors, scientists often cannot accurately determine the age of a river, resulting in estimates that cover a wide period of time. A prime example is the New River, which runs in North America from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to Virginia and West Virginia, where it flows into the Kanawha River. It is approximately 547 kilometers long.
The New River was formed between 10 and 360 million years ago. Photo source: nationalgeographic.com
Scientists estimate that the age of this river is between 10 and 360 million years. Despite the age estimate being off by hundreds of millions of years, the river was named the second oldest in the world in the 70s. But, as you already understood, in fact, there is no certainty that it is really the second oldest.
The Oldest River on Earth
Most scientists believe that the oldest river in the world is the Finke River in Australia, also known as the Larapinta. It originates in the MacDonnell Ranges in Northern Australia and flows into Lake Eyre, the largest lake on the continent, located in the lowland desert area of South Australia. As a result, the river is 600-750 kilometers long.
The Finke River is considered the oldest on Earth. Photo source: travelask.ru
It is believed that this river arose 350-400 million years ago. It is noteworthy that it flows only a few times a year, during heavy rains. When the rains pass, the water goes into the sands of the Simpson Desert, as a result of which the river rarely reaches Lake Eyre.
To estimate the age of the river, scientists analyzed various factors related to geology. For example, in the James Range, the Finke flows through deeply incised meanders, or curves formed by outcrops of rock that reach the surface. Meanders only form on flat plains. This suggests that the river formed before the mountain ranges rose up.
For most of the year, the Finke River bed looks like this. Photo source: iflscience.com
According to researchers, the river appeared during the formation of the Alice Springs mountain, which reached its peak between 300 and 400 million years ago, that is, between the Devonian and Carboniferous periods of the Paleozoic era. True, scientists are still not sure that the Finke is the oldest river on the planet, but in any case, it is one of the oldest. By the way, scientists recently discovered the remains of a prehistoric predatory fish in the Finke riverbed, 380 million years old. This confirms the fact that the river is really very ancient.
The oldest river in Europe
The oldest river on the European continent is the Meuse, which flows through France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Its length is about 950 kilometers. The river originates on the Langres plateau in France. In the Netherlands, it joins the Rhine branch, forming a common delta and flows into the North Sea.
The Meuse River is considered the oldest on the European continent. Photo source: pixabay.com
According to scientists, the age of this river is between 320 and 340 million years. It should be said that in the 18th century, fossil remains of marine predatory lizards, mosasaurs, were discovered in a limestone quarry in Maastricht on the Maas. These animals were named after the Maas River, or more precisely, its Latin name, «Mosa».
The Oldest River in Russia
In Russia, the oldest river is considered to be the Amur, the age of the modern riverbed of which is estimated at 5-7 million years. This river is also one of the largest in the country – its length reaches 2824 km.
The Amur is considered the most ancient river in Russia. Photo source: dzen.ru
The Amur River basin is located in the temperate latitudes of East Asia. It flows through Russia, as well as Mongolia and China. Moreover, most of the Amur riverbed serves as a natural border between Russia and China. By the way, in China the Amur is called the “Black Dragon River”, since according to legend, a black dragon once lived in it.
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Scientists are debating the age of the river. Presumably, the Amur flowed back in the Cretaceous period, that is, 140-66 million years ago, but the current crosses mountain ranges that are even older. However, as already mentioned above, the modern riverbed emerged later – in the Upper Miocene, 5-7 million years ago.