Solving the Mystery of River Formation. Look outside after a heavy rain and you may find a miniature Grand Canyon in your backyard, complete with a complex network of tributaries.
The precise conditions that cause rivers of all sizes to form branches have long been a mystery; now, a new study pinpoints two opposing physical forces that work together to produce the intricate patterns. The discovery could help scientists better understand rivers at all scales and even on other worlds; for example, the icebound methane rivers on Titan, one of Saturn's moons.
When rain hits a tilted surface, like the side of a mountain or a hill, it tends to flow toward existing depressions.
Climate. Earth's Atmosphere. Weather Phenomena. Oceanography. Ecology, Environment & Population. Food Crops & Production. Earth's Magnetic Field.