In geography , a confluence (also: conflux ) occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel . A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river ( main stem ); or where two streams meet to become the source of a river of a new name (such as the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers, forming the Ohio River ); or where two separated channels of a river (forming a river island ) rejoin at the downstream end. The point of confluence where the channel flows into a larger body of water may be called the river mouth .
28-621: 30°33′45″N 79°34′31″E / 30.56250°N 79.57528°E / 30.56250; 79.57528 Vishnuprayāg is the confluence of India's Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers—the first of five major confluences of the Alakanda known as the Panch Prayag . It is located at an elevation of 1,372 metres (4,501 ft) in the Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand . Vishnuprayāg derives its name from Vishnu , reflecting
56-672: A belief that it is the place where the sage Narada meditated and offered to worship to god Vishnu, after which Vishnu appeared before him. Nearby points of interest include the Vishnuprayag Dam , Kagbhusandi Lake, and Hanuman Chatti, a temple dedicated to the god Hanuman . Confluence Confluences are studied in a variety of sciences. Hydrology studies the characteristic flow patterns of confluences and how they give rise to patterns of erosion, bars, and scour pools. The water flows and their consequences are often studied with mathematical models . Confluences are relevant to
84-630: A confluence is an industrial site, as in Philadelphia or Mannheim . Often a confluence lies in the shared floodplain of the two rivers and nothing is built on it, for example at Manaus , described below. One other way that confluences may be exploited by humans is as sacred places in religions . Rogers suggests that for the ancient peoples of the Iron Age in northwest Europe, watery locations were often sacred, especially sources and confluences. Pre-Christian Slavic peoples chose confluences as
112-433: A gradients, cascades and an adequate junction angle which is sympathetic to the direction of the watercourse’s flow to minimise turbulent flow, maximise evacuation velocity and to ultimately maximise hydraulic efficiency. Since rivers often serve as political boundaries, confluences sometimes demarcate three abutting political entities, such as nations, states, or provinces, forming a tripoint . Various examples are found in
140-546: A monument to German unity. As a result, the coats of arms of all German Länder (states), including those of former German territories such as Silesia , East Prussia and Pomerania , were installed. Replacing the destroyed equestrian statue, a German flag flew over the plaza. After the Berlin Wall came down in November 1989, three concrete parts of the actual wall were installed next to the monument. On 3 October 1990,
168-441: A stream contaminated with acid mine drainage combines with a stream with near-neutral pH water; these reactions happen very rapidly and influence the subsequent transport of metals downstream of the mixing zone." A natural phenomenon at confluences that is obvious even to casual observers is a difference in color between the two streams; see images in this article for several examples. According to Lynch, "the color of each river
196-401: A vast assortment of subjects which concern confluences. In hydraulic civil engineering , where two or more underground culverted / artificially buried watercourses intersect, great attention should be paid to the hydrodynamic aspects of the system to ensure the longevity and efficiency of the structure. Engineers have to design these systems whilst considering a list of factors that ensure
224-494: Is determined by many things: type and amount of vegetation in the watershed, geological properties, dissolved chemicals, sediments and biologic content – usually algae ." Lynch also notes that color differences can persist for miles downstream before they finally blend completely. Hydrodynamic behaviour of flow in a confluence can be divided into six distinct features which are commonly called confluence flow zones (CFZ). These include The broader field of engineering encompasses
252-700: Is today a Koblenz landmark and a popular tourist attraction. The Teutonic Knights were called to Koblenz by the Archbishop of Trier in 1216 and vested with estates around the Basilica of St. Castor at the confluence of the Mosel and the Rhine. Serving mainly in nursing care, the knights soon after established a commandry here, which became the administrative seat of the Koblenz bailiwick directly subordinate to
280-774: Is used to describe the meeting of tidal or other non-riverine bodies of water, such as two canals or a canal and a lake. A one-mile (1.6 km) portion of the Industrial Canal in New Orleans accommodates the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet Canal ; therefore those three waterways are confluent there. The term confluence can also apply to the process of merging or flowing together of other substance. For example, it may refer to
308-678: The Grand Master . The premises centred on the Deutschherrenhaus building were erected from 1279 onwards and became known as the Deutsches Eck. In about 1600, the Koblenz commander moved his seat further down the Rhine to Cologne . In 1794 the Left Bank of the Rhine was conquered by French revolutionary troops and the ecclesiastical estates secularised from 1802 onwards. The Order's premises were refurbished as part of
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#1732772277230336-595: The unification of Germany . One of many Emperor William monuments raised in the Prussian Rhine Province , it was dismantled on the orders of the French military government immediately after the Second World War , and only the plinth was preserved as a memorial. Following German reunification , a replica of the statue was erected on the pedestal after controversial discussions in 1993. It
364-558: The Prussian Koblenz Fortress . Later in the 19th century, the area was linked by a pier with a downstream sandbank creating the present-day promontory. After the death of Emperor William I in 1888, his grandson William II wished to spark a nationalist cult around the "founder of the German Reich ". In the following years the privately funded Kyffhäuser Monument was erected and an Emperor William Monument
392-655: The Rhine Province was occupied by Allied forces. When in November 1929 the area was finally cleared according to the Young Plan , tens of thousands gathered at the Deutsches Eck to celebrate the "liberation of the Rhineland". On 22 July 1930 Reich President Paul von Hindenburg celebrated the completion of his triumphal journey through the Rhenish lands here with a festive banquet and a firework display. Later in
420-576: The base. The installation took place on Sedan Day , which although no longer officially recognized, was the day on which the German victory in the Battle of Sedan was commemorated. On 25 September 1993, the new statue was inaugurated. Today, a big national flag and the flags of the 16 Länder fly at the Deutsches Eck as a reminder of German unity. In addition, the flag of the European Union and
448-440: The discharge point is structurally stable as the entrance of the lateral culvert into the main structure may compromise the stability of the structure due to the lack of support at the discharge, this often constitutes additional supports in the form of structural bracing. The velocities and hydraulic efficiencies should be meticulously calculated and can be altered by integrating different combinations of geometries, components such
476-499: The distribution of living organisms (i.e., ecology ) as well; "the general pattern [downstream of confluences] of increasing stream flow and decreasing slopes drives a corresponding shift in habitat characteristics." Another science relevant to the study of confluences is chemistry , because sometimes the mixing of the waters of two streams triggers a chemical reaction, particularly in a polluted stream. The United States Geological Survey gives an example: "chemical changes occur when
504-408: The emblems of the new federal states were added. With German Reunification in 1990, the Deutsches Eck no longer served as a symbol of the aspiration for a united Germany. Thus, a discussion arose regarding a remodelling of the plaza. Critics considered the reinstallation of the equestrian statue of Wilhelm I as anachronistic and improper, whereas promoters saw the opportunity for tourist benefits. As
532-558: The list below. A number of major cities, such as Chongqing , St. Louis , and Khartoum , arose at confluences; further examples appear in the list. Within a city, a confluence often forms a visually prominent point, so that confluences are sometimes chosen as the site of prominent public buildings or monuments, as in Koblenz , Lyon , and Winnipeg . Cities also often build parks at confluences, sometimes as projects of municipal improvement, as at Portland and Pittsburgh . In other cases,
560-608: The merger of the flow of two glaciers . Deutsches Eck The Deutsches Eck ( German: [ˈdɔʏtʃəs ˈʔɛk] , "German Corner") is the name of a promontory in Koblenz , Germany , where the Mosel river joins the Rhine . Named after a local commandry of the Teutonic Order , it became known for a monumental equestrian statue of William I , first German Emperor , dedicated in 1897 in appreciation of his role in
588-607: The old memorial with a monument for peace and understanding among nations, but that concept was never realized. After the formation of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic in 1949, the country was divided into a capitalist west and a communist east. In order to express the deep wish for a united Germany, President Theodor Heuss turned the German Corner into
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#1732772277230616-526: The owner of the site, any decision to reinstall a statue of Wilhelm I rested with the government of the Rhineland-Palatinate. However, the state government transferred its rights to the city of Koblenz. When Werner Theisen , a former newspaper publisher from Koblenz, and his wife Anneliese, announced that they would bear all costs for a reconstruction of the statue, the decision was made to proceed with it. The Düsseldorf sculptor Raymond Kittl
644-503: The presence of the emperor on 31 August 1897. Bruno Schmitz again had drawn up the plans for a giant, over 37 metres (121 ft) high monument installed at the tip of the Deutsches Eck, bearing an inscription quoting a verse by the Koblenz poet Max von Schenkendorf : Nimmer wird das Reich zerstöret, wenn ihr einig seid und treu ("Never will the Empire be destroyed, so long as you are united and loyal"). Another inscription could be found at
672-427: The same evening, 38 people were killed when a pontoon bridge across the Mosel collapsed under the weight of the crowds. While the inner city of Koblenz was hit hard by Allied strategic bombing during World War II , the Deutsches Eck remained largely unscathed. However, the statue was later badly damaged by American artillery. Soon afterwards it was completely taken down. The French military government planned to replace
700-453: The sites for fortified triangular temples, where they practiced human sacrifice and other sacred rites. In Hinduism , the confluence of two sacred rivers often is a pilgrimage site for ritual bathing. In Pittsburgh, a number of adherents to Mayanism consider their city's confluence to be sacred. Mississippi basin Atlantic watersheds Pacific watersheds Occasionally, "confluence"
728-642: The statue dedicating it to Wilhelm der Große ("William the Great"). The equestrian statue itself, 14 m (46 ft) in height, presented William I in a general's uniform, reminiscent of the Prussian victories in the "German Wars of Unification". His horse is roped by a winged female genius bearing a laurel wreath and the Imperial Crown . After World War I under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles ,
756-460: Was commissioned to produce a replica of the original sculpture and the remodelled statue was created from durable bronze cast, unlike the original which had been made from copper plates. In May 1992, the parts of the statue were brought to Koblenz on board the MS Futura . The assembly work was completed at the port and on 2 September 1993 a mobile lattice boom crawler crane lifted the statue onto
784-549: Was inaugurated in Porta Westfalica , both designed by the Leipzig architect Bruno Schmitz . Several other cities had also applied as installation sites and in 1891 William II decided upon the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel rivers at Koblenz. After further landfills at the site and a large-scale collection campaign, the official "Emperor William Monument of the Rhine Province" was erected and solemnly inaugurated in
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