How does a rivers source constantly have water.
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It’s kind of misleading that we call a certain place ‘the source’ of a river because that’s not where the water is literally coming from. Rather, the water for a river is typically collected over a very large area where rain collects in many small rivulets until it builds up into a large stream. We just call one place ‘the source’ of the river because that is the point where we can say okay, this is definitely the river. Often this point is actually a spring – water collects on mountainsides and seeps into the ground, following underground channels until it emerges and forms a spring which feeds into a river. Or, it might be another feature like a glacier – snow collects in mountain valleys and slowly melts at one end, forming a glacial lake that then feeds a river.
I guess that only partially answered the question. The real answer then is that the river doesn’t run out of water because is being replenished all the time by rainwater or melting snow.
Water evaporates from the ocean. This forms clouds who drift back over land. Rain from those clouds then replenishes underground water reservoirs, which feed stream sources.
A river’s source is constantly replenished via rainfall or snowmelt. It may pass through an underground aquafer first, or though smaller rivulets, but precipitation is the ultimate answer.
Rain water or melting ice higher up the hill or mountain is constantly trickling through the soil providing more water, eventually in dry spells the amount of water is reduced and the flow of the river can slow dramatically or even stop completely.
Many smaller rivers nearly run dry in California during our dry season. They come back after it rains in the winter
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You could say the source of the river is “rain”. And if it doesn’t rain enough rivers do dry up and run out of water.
Rain is the short answer of course, but one of the mind-blowing things about the earth is just how much water there is underground, in rocks and dirt.
Which is a good thing! The reason spring water is usually pretty clean is because it’s been filtered by flowing through sand and rocks. Rainwater typically needs more treatment than spring water.
Rivers are formed from a “watershed” which is an area of land that acts as a big funnel and directs all the water toward one area. So it’s not like the river officially starts somewhere. It’s more like tiny trickling streams combine as you go down the mountains and then they eventually form a big river. The source of this water is usually rain or melting snow.
Because it keeps raining around the world. As long as it rains in the area of the river, it will always have a source of water.
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