What is river bifurcation?

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

The essence of many things surrounding a person is fickle. Everything around is fleeting and changeable, including natural phenomena. Our planet at first glance seems stable, but in fact, complex processes are constantly taking place on Earth, many of them are cyclic, but some are quite rare and inexplicable. One of these phenomena is the bifurcation of rivers. What does this mean? Let's find out.

General information about bifurcation

This term is used in many scientific fields. In general, it means the division of one whole into two parts, and it concerns not so much static objects as a dynamic system. So, it can be a bifurcation of rivers, mountain ranges, blood vessels, nerves.

A similar definition is also used in the organizational system of the educational process, when a group of students is divided into two streams, with the condition that they are engaged in different activities and are no longer compatible.

River forks

However, to a greater extent, thisthe concept is applicable precisely in physical geography. According to encyclopedic reference books, river bifurcation is the bifurcation of one river stream into two or more separate branches.

Besides the fact that there is a direct division of the water artery, in connection with this process, new valleys are formed, from which newly appeared sources feed. Also, water flows, which have become the outcome of such a phenomenon as the bifurcation of rivers, most often flow into different water bodies, and even systems.

Natural Anomaly

This process is an extremely interesting phenomenon that happens quite rarely. In the history of geographical research and observations, the bifurcation of rivers is described, but in fact there were not so many precedents.

Such a division of water flows occurred in the past, it is also found in the present. The geography of the prevalence of the phenomenon is quite wide. The most characteristic and most studied examples are the division of the Orinoco (South America) and Niger (Africa) rivers. There was a similar bifurcation in the territory of Russia. Thus, the bifurcation of rivers in the Vladimir region took place in the eighteenth century. Other cases that can be observed now are also described. It should be noted that these examples have different causes of river bifurcation. What is this phenomenon and why is it happening?

Lake District

There are rivers that, in the course of their course, "stumble" on weakly expressed watershed objects, which become one of the reasons for their bifurcation. It is likely that the forking of the stream occurs as a result of the fact that the water blurs the fuzzy boundaries of the channel.

With regard to bifurcation, there is one condition - the river, after its divergence, should not return to its original channel again, however, sometimes this happens.

Very interesting this phenomenon is demonstrated by the Niger River mentioned above, and streams similar to it, which are often interrupted by waterfalls and islands that turn the main stream.

However, do not confuse the concepts of bifurcation and seasonal or permanent drying up of rivers, which occurs due to the inconstancy of their recharge.

Going full circle

The culprits of the branching of the rivers can also be called seasonal floods and floods. The first occur as a result of the intensive growth of water in the river delta. This may be the result of heavy and prolonged rains, sudden melting of snow, runoff of water from precipitation in mountainous areas, they arise spontaneously, regardless of the season. The flood occurs every year at the same time, most often as a result of an increase in the water content of the river.

After a seasonal rise in the water level in the river and the associated bifurcation, the water, as a rule, remains in the main channel, and the additional branch disappears until the next flood.

Human factor

The last few centuries have shown how much humanity can influence the course of natural and natural things on Earth, and beyond. Not always the impact of people has positive consequences, it often turns aroundcatastrophes, and the negative result is a hundred times greater than any benefits of such activities.

First of all, this refers to the unsuccessful experience of man in changing river channels. Partially implemented was the project with the Amu Darya, which fed the already disappeared Aral Sea. This river, at the peak of its filling, naturally bifurcated into two branches, but when the Soviet authorities decided to use its resource for economic activities, thoughtless influence on the fragile balance led to the depletion of this water artery.

Fortunately, the absolutely fantastic project to turn the Siberian rivers, which involved not only changing their direction, but also bifurcation in order to balance the "unfair" distribution of water resources, failed. Indeed, in Siberia, water was “extra”, and in Central Asia it was severely lacking.

Precedents

There are quite a lot of rivers in the world that are subject to branching:

• Orinoco (South America) - at the bifurcation point, the Casiquiare River departs from it.
• Chu (Kyrgyzstan) - once a year gives part of the water to the Kutemalda River.
• Nerodimka (Serbia) - forks and forms the Ibar and Lepanets rivers.
• Echimamish (Canada) - diverges into two springs flowing into the Hudson and Haise.

In Europe (between Sweden and Finland) the river flows. Tour, in the course of its course, it is divided into four different rivers.

There are quite a lot of similar cases in Russia as well. The most indicative are the Kula rivers (flows in the Europeanparts of our country, in the northeast direction), Pizhma (Arkhangelsk region), which is divided into Mezen and Pechersk, Rosson - has two branches - the rivers Luga and Narva. You can also add Bolshoy Egorlyk, Kalaus and Delkyu to this list, which we will talk about in a little more detail.

Delcu River

This stream begins in the Far East, at the slope of Mount Beryl. Its length is 221 km, it flows through the territory of the Khabarovsk Territory. In its upper part, the river splits into two branches. The main name - Delkyu-Okhotskaya is also preserved behind the main channel, a branch of the river - Delkyu-Kuidusunskaya. The first flows into the Pacific Ocean, the second ends its journey in the Arctic Ocean.

It is noteworthy that the name of the river in translation from the Even language means "pants, trousers", it is likely that the bifurcation of the Delkyu River is "guilty" of this.

This water stream is quite important for tourism. Experienced professional kayakers raft along this river. The level of difficulty of the track is high. The rafting is so dangerous that it sometimes takes human lives.

Rstump

Another described branching of the water artery has long been forgotten by people. We are talking about the river Rpen, which flows in the Vladimir region. The bifurcation of rivers in this area was observed as early as the eighteenth century. Old maps testify to this. Also, if we believe such sources, we can say that Rpen changed its position and even partly its course many times. It's connected beforeonly with the construction of a thermal power plant and a chemical plant near the river.