Streams and rivers

Streams, rivers, creeks

A river consists of water moving from a higher elevation to a lower elevation due to gravity. When rain falls or infiltrates the ground, the runoff moves toward the sea and flows downhill into rivers and lakes.

Sometimes the ground surface is not flat but slopes downwards in one direction. Flowing water initially flows downhill like small streams. As small streams flow downhill, they merge to form larger streams and rivers. Rivers eventually flow into oceans or seas. If water flows into a place surrounded by higher land on all sides, a lake forms there. If a dam is built to block the flow of a river, the resulting lake forms a reservoir and is important for the future of life in the present.

Rivers have been vital not only to humans but to all life on Earth since the beginning of life. Plants and animals grow and gather around rivers because water is so important to all life. Rivers appear to flow through many cities around the world, but it does not appear that the rivers flow through the city, but rather that the city is built and grows around the river. Rivers are important for humans for irrigation, energy production and waste disposal.

Formation of River Waters;

The starting point of River Waters is the sky because it forms part of the river cycle. Most of the water flowing in rivers flows into surrounding basins. However, not all the water in a river comes from surface runoff. Rain falling on land also seeps into the soil to form groundwater. Below the land surface, the ground at a certain depth, called the water table, is saturated with water. If a river bank cuts through this saturated layer, as most rivers do, water will seep through the soil into the river. Groundwater seepage can sometimes be seen even on land or when layers are exposed, such as in a driveway. Layers of water-bearing rock can emerge along riverbanks as rivers can be cut vertically into the ground over time as they flow. Therefore, part of the water in rivers is connected to the current leaving the banks. That's why even in droughts there is usually some water in streams.