Colorado River
The Colorado River is a river in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is approximately 1,450 miles (2,330 km) long. It drains a part of the dry regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains.
| Colorado River | |
|---|---|
| Mouth | Gulf of California |
| Length | 2,330 km (1,450 mi) |
The natural course of the river flows into the Gulf of California. The heavy use of the river as an irrigation source for the Imperial Valley has desiccated the lower course of the river in Mexico. Now it no longer always reaches the sea.
On its way the Colorado River runs through Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California and Mexico. The Colorado River drains 242,900 sq mi (629,100 km²). Total flows of the river range from 4000 cubic feet per second (570 m³/s) in droughts to 1,000,000 ft³/s (28,000 m³/s) in severe floods. With the construction of massive power dams on the lower course of the river, floods of over 70,000 ft³/s (2000 m³/s) are rare. The mean flow of the total river before diversion is 22,000 ft³/s.
Historically, the flow was much higher before water usage began in the basin.
Colorado River Media
Headwaters of the Colorado River in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Colorado River in the Grand Canyon seen from Pima Point, near Hermit's Rest
Satellite view of the Colorado River valley near Yuma, Arizona; Interstate 8 runs from left to right just below center.
Colorado River as it exits the United States into Mexico beneath the San Luis Colorado-Colonia Miguel Aléman Bridge (September 2009)
The San Juan River near Mexican Hat, Utah
The Green River at Mineral Bottom, just north of Canyonlands National Park
Annual Colorado River discharge volumes at Lee's Ferry between 1895 and 2004
Map showing the Upper and Lower Colorado River Basin, and adjacent areas supplied by Colorado River water.
The Black Suspension Bridge crosses the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon at Phantom Ranch, Arizona.
Remnants of basalt flows from the Uinkaret volcanic field are seen here descending into the Grand Canyon, where they dammed the Colorado over 10 times in the past 2 million years.
.jpg)
References
This short article about a place or feature in the United States can be made longer. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it.