Río Neuquén

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Río Neuquén
The Neuquén Valley and Lake Pellegrini, photographed from the ISS

The Neuquén Valley and Lake Pellegrini, photographed from the ISS

Data
location Province of Neuquen , Argentina
River system Río Negro
Drain over Río Negro  → Atlantic
Source height 2300  m
confluence near Neuquén with the Río Limay to the Río Negro Coordinates: 38 ° 59 ′ 38 ″  S , 68 ° 0 ′ 7 ″  W 38 ° 59 ′ 38 ″  S , 68 ° 0 ′ 7 ″  W

length 400 km  (or 420 km)
Catchment area 50,774 km²
Runoff at the Paso de Indios gauge MQ
308 m³ / s
Reservoirs flowed through Cerros Colorados
Canyon of the Rio Neuquén

Canyon of the Rio Neuquén

The Río Neuquén is the second most important river after the Río Limay in the Argentine province of Neuquén in Patagonia . According to two different statements, it is 400 or 420 kilometers long.

The Río Neuquén has its source in the Andes in the northwest of the province at an altitude of 2300 meters above sea level. After that it has a series of tributaries from lower Andean valleys and turns in a straight line in a southeast direction. Among the tributaries, some of which come from small lakes, are Río Trocomán, Río Reñi Leuvü and Río Nahueve. Below are its main tributaries, the Río Varvarco and Río Agrio, which account for almost a third of the water in the Río Neuquén. On its way, it receives sediments from the Copahue and Domuyo volcanoes , which sometimes impair the clarity of the otherwise clean water.

After the confluence with the Río Agrio, the Río Neuquén does not flow through any lakes that could regulate its discharge, which can cause the water level to swell sharply during the thaw and rainy periods. A drainage channel to Lake Pellegrini in the province of Río Negro was built to prevent rapid changes in runoff, as was the Cerros Colorados complex , which is also used to generate electrical energy from hydropower . There, the Neuquén is dammed in two large reservoirs one after the other : Los Barreales with the Loma de la Lata dam and Mari Menuco with the Planicie Banderita dam.

The average discharge of the Neuquén is 308 m³ / s, measured at Paso de Indios, and the surface of its catchment area is about 50,774 km² . Finally, the Neuquén flows together with the Río Limay near the city of Neuquén and forms the Río Negro , which flows eastward and finally flows into the Atlantic Ocean .

literature

Web links

Commons : Río Neuquén  - collection of images, videos and audio files