Bifurcation: The secret giant islands formed when rivers split

As I’m sure you’re aware, rivers usually combine together to make larger and larger rivers until they reach the sea. However, there are some exceptions: rivers do sometimes split up and flow in separate directions. These splits are called “bifurcations” (bi” meaning “two”, and “furcations” being the forks). They happen most often when rivers are close to the sea, which forms deltas. These separate branches then reach the sea soon after. These branches can also happen inland, where they will usually re-join again to form a river island. However, in very rare occasions these branches can go off in totally different directions, and even into separate oceans. The same phenomenon can also happen with lakes, where a lake may have 2 outflow rivers that head in very different directions. Here’s a little image showing 4 different types of bifurcation: The Casiquiare Canal Perhaps the best example of a river bifurcation that links two different river systems can be found in South America ... Read full article.