A confluence is a river which is formed when two or more rivers combine to form a single channel of water. The confluence formed can be as a result of two smaller rivers joining to form one channel or two rivers separated by a strip of land upstream that rejoin downstream.
Confluences occur where a tributary joins a larger river, where two rivers join to create a third or, where two separated channels of a river, having formed an island, rejoin downstream. Perhaps you’ve watched raindrops trailing down a window and seen two paths merge. That is a confluence! Confluences are important to the ecology of a stream because they often mark where changes in river energy, chemistry, and habitat take place.
For kids and learners: Let’s take a minute to think about that word “confluence.” It is not something you hear in everyday talk, but you are probably familiar with its parts. Does “fluence” sound like fluid to you? It should – they have the same root. Meanwhile, “Con” at the beginning of a word, often means together, life in converge or congregate – in fact they even use it in Comic-Con! So confluence means, literally, fluids coming together.
Credit : USGS
Picture Credit : Google
