river sources
Where tributaries begin
River sources are the origins of rivers—springs, lakes, glaciers, or wetlands where rivers begin their flow.
The term appears in geography, hydrology, and environmental science: Explorers spent decades searching for the river sources of the Nile.
A single river may have multiple sources that merge into one main channel.
- artesian wellNaturally pressurized groundwater source
- melting glaciersIce fields shrinking from warmth
- freshwater habitatNon-marine aquatic environment
- alpine lakesHigh-altitude mountain waters
- percolationLiquid passing through pores
infiltration · rain clouds · babbling brook · headwaters · mountain springs · spawning grounds · erosion · spring · underground streams · sacred waters · holy waters · mountain lakes · watershed · aquifer · water table · precipitation · rainwater collection
river sourcesriver mouths
Where rivers discharge
lower reaches · delta · deltas · estuary · estuaries
river sourcesdistributaries
Channels flowing from rivers
deltas · delta · floodplain · floodplains
river, rivers, rivering, riverine, riverbank, riverbed, riverside, source, sources