Finke River

Finke River Latest News

The Finke River, known to the Arrernte people as Larapinta, is believed to be the world’s oldest river system.

About Finke River

• It is a major but intermittent river of central Australia.
• Course:
  • It starts in the MacDonnell Ranges in the Northern Territory. 
  • The river forms where two smaller creeks, Davenport and Ormiston, meet. 
  • It flows for about 600 kilometers (370 miles) towards the Simpson Desert in South Australia.
• It is often called “the oldest river in the world.” 
  • A combination of geological records, weathering profiles, and radionuclide measurements in the surrounding sediments and rocks has enabled scientists to date this river system to the Devonian (419 million to 359 million) or Carboniferous (359 million to 299 million) period.
• Most of the time, the Finke River looks like a series of waterholes. But after heavy rains, it can turn into a powerful, fast-flowing river. 
• During big floods, its water can even reach the Macumba River and eventually Lake Eyre.
• Some of its main smaller rivers that flow into it are Ellery Creek and the Palmer and Hugh Rivers.

Source: IT

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