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Source (river or stream)

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	Topics Source (river or stream) Topic Home The source of a riverRiver A river is a large natural waterway.... or streamStream A stream, brook, beck, burn or creek, is a body of water with a detectable current, confined within ... is the place from which the waterWater Water is a tasteless, odorless substance that is essential to all known forms of life and is known as the universal solve... in the river or stream originates. Definition More specifically, a source is defined as the most distant point (from the river mouth) in the drainage basinDrainage basin A drainage basin is a region of land where water from rain or snowmelt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river... from which water runs year-around, or, alternatively, the furthest point from which water could possibly flow. This latter definition includes sometimes-dry channels and removes any possible definitions that would have the river source "move around" from month to month depending on precipitation or ground water levels. This definition, from geographer Andrew Johnston of the Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded... , is also used by the National Geographic SocietyNational Geographic Society The National Geographic Society, based in Washington, D.C.... when pinpointing the actual source of rivers such as the AmazonAmazon River The Amazon River or River Amazon; Spanish: Ro Amazonas, Portuguese: Rio Amazonas) of South America is the seco... or Nile. Other authoritative geographic definitions agree, stressing that a river source is never a confluenceConfluence (geography) Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.... but is "in a location that is the farthest, along water miles, from where that river ends." Thus, neither a lake (except in rare cases in which it has no inflows) nor a confluence of tributaries can by definition ever be a true river source, though both often provide the starting point for the portion of a river carrying a single name. For example, National Geographic and all other major geographic authorities and atlases define the source of the Nile River not as Lake VictoriaLake Victoria Lake Victoria or Victoria Nyanza is one of the Great Lakes of Africa.... 's outlet where the name "Nile" first appears, but as the source of the largest river flowing into the lake, the Kagera RiverKagera River The Kagera River is a remote source of the Nile.... . The official source of the Mississippi-MissouriList of rivers by length This is a list of the longest rivers on Earth. It includes river systems over 1,000 kilometers.... is not where either river begins in name, but is defined by the USGS as the source of the longest tributary, the Jefferson RiverJefferson River Overview The Jefferson River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 207 miles long, in the U.S.... The official source of the Amazon RiverAmazon River Overview The Amazon River or River Amazon; Spanish: Ro Amazonas, Portuguese: Rio Amazonas) of South America is the seco... is a similar example. Characteristics of sources Often the source, or start of the most remote tributary, may be in an area that is more marshMarsh In geography, a marsh is a type of wetland, featuring grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, cat tails, and other herbaceou... -like, in which the "uppermost" or most remote section of the marsh would be the true source. For example, the source of the River TeesRiver Tees The Tees is an English river that rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the Pennine Chain and flows eastwards for abou... is marshMarsh In geography, a marsh is a type of wetland, featuring grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, cat tails, and other herbaceou... land. The furthest stream is also often called the headstream. Headwaters are usually small streams that are often cool waters, because of shade and recently melted ice or snow. They may also be glacial headwaters, waters formed by the melting of glacial iceIce Ice is an Oxide class mineral that is referred to by any one of the 14 known solid phases of water.... . The source is the farthest point of the river stream from its estuaryEstuary An estuary is a mouth of a river with a triangle form, semi-enclosed coastal body of water which has a free connection with ... , mouth, or its confluenceConfluence (geography) Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.... with another river or stream, regardless of what name that watercourse may carry on local maps and in local usage. Where a river is fed by more than one source, it is customary to regard the longest as its source, with other sources considered tributariesTributary A tributary is a stream or river which flows into another river or body of water but which may not flow directly into the se... . Often, however, the manner in which streams are named is not consistent with this convention. Many rivers change names numerous times over their length. Near its source, a river or stream may have a modest flow rateVolumetric flow rate In fluid dynamics, the volumetric flow rate, also volume flow rate and rate of fluid flow, is the volume of flui... , but the flow increases as more surface runoffSurface runoff Surface runoff is water, from rain, snowmelt, or other sources, that flows over the land surface, and is a major component o... and tributaries drain into the subject stream. Headwaters are the most extreme upstream areas of a watershed. The end point of the watershedDrainage basin A drainage basin is a region of land where water from rain or snowmelt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river... is called an outflow or discharge. A watershed is an area of land that is drained by a body of water. The river source is generally on or quite near the edge of the watershed, or watershed divide. Example A river is defined as a linear geographic feature, with only one mouth and only one source. For an example, please note how the Mississippi RiverMississippi River The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe word misi-ziibi meaning 'great river' , is the longest river in the U... and Missouri RiverMissouri River Summary The Missouri River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the United States.... sources are officially defined: Related usages The word "source", when applied to lakeLake A lake is a body of water or other liquid of considerable size surrounded by land.... s rather than rivers or streams, refer to the lake's inflowInflow (hydrology) In hydrology, the inflow of a body of water is the source of the water in the body of water.... .