Maipo River Explained

Maipo River
Map:Maipo River watershed.png
Map Size:250
Source1 Location:Andes Mountains, south of Unnamed Hill 3996
Source1 Coordinates:-34.225°N -69.849°W
Mouth:Pacific Ocean
Mouth Location:San Antonio, Chile
Mouth Coordinates:-33.6134°N -71.6288°W
Tributaries Right:El Volcán, Yeso and Colorado
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:Chile
Length:250km (160miles)[1]
Discharge1 Avg:92.3m3/s
Basin Size:15304km2

The Maipo River is the main river flowing through the Santiago Metropolitan Region and the Valparaíso Region of Chile. It is located just south of the capital of Santiago. The Mapocho River, which flows through central Santiago, is one of its tributaries. Its headwaters are on the west slope of Maipo volcano, in the Andes. The Maipo River is by far the major source of irrigation and potable water for the region.[1] [2]

The rivers mouth bar have moved to disconnect the river from the sea several times in history, for example, after the 2010 Chile earthquake and then again since January 19, 2023.[3] This last change in bar morphology was a consequence of a storm surge.[3] By January 28 a ditch had been made to reconnect the river to the sea.[4] Governor of Valpraíso Region Rodrigo Mundaca criticized however the fact that works were carried out without permission.[4]

Low discharge rates caused by excessive uptakes of water in Maipo River have been credited for the inability of the river to break naturally through the bar in January 2023.[3] [4]

Course

In its upper course the river runs as an entrenched torrent through the Andes mountains. Here, it receives three major tributaries: the El Volcán River, the Yeso River and the Colorado River. After leaving the Andes, the Maipo flows through the valley that bears its name, which is one of the principal wine-producing region in Chile. The Maipo River travels 250km (160miles) before emptying into the Pacific Ocean, near the locality of Llolleo, south of the port of San Antonio.

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.sinia.cl/1292/articles-31018_Maipo.pdf Cuenca del río Maipo
  2. Book: Cai, Ximing . Modeling Water Resources Management at the Basin Level: Methodology and Application to the Maipo River Basin . Claudia Ringler . Mark W. Rosegrant . 2006 . International Food Policy Research Institute . Washington DC . 978-0-89629-152-2 .
  3. News: Río Maipo no desemboca en el mar desde el jueves pasado: Las razones del fenómeno . Olivares Nieto . B. . 2023-01-26 . 2023-01-27 . . Spanish.
  4. News: Río Maipo vuelve a desembocar en el mar tras construcción de zanja para encauzar caudal . Zamarin . Felipe . 2023-01-28 . . 2023.