Hamza River
Encyclopedia
Hamza River is an unofficial name, for what seems to be a slowly flowing aquifer
in Brazil
, approximately 6000 kilometres (3,728.2 mi) long. Its discovery was announced in 2011. The unofficial name is in honour of scientist Valiya Mannathal Hamza
, of Brazil's National Observatory, who has undertaken research on the region for four decades.
The Hamza and the Amazon are the two main drainage systems
for the Amazon Basin
, although the Hamza only has a flow rate
3% the size of the Amazon — about 3000 cubic metres (105,944 cu ft) per second. It runs west to east, some 4000 metres (13,123.4 ft) below the Earth's surface, and follows roughly the path of the Amazon river
. The Hamza empties in the Atlantic Ocean
, deep under the surface, and may be responsible for the low salinity
around the mouth of the Amazon River. Its own water has a high salt content
.
using thermal data collected from 241 inactive oil well
s in the area, drilled in the 1970s and 1980s, by the Petrobras
oil company. Calculations from these data showed that a larger flow should exist. Direct observation of water movement at a very low rate can be difficult. The speed of flow is slower than that of an average glacier
, and Dr. Hamza himself says that the team uses the term ‘river’ in a general sense, not in the conventional sense. In the title to the original paper, the word ‘river’ appears in quotation mark
s.
The evidence was presented at the 12th International Congress of the Brazilian Geophysical Society in Rio de Janeiro and as of August 2011 has not yet been published, although the research team noted that the techniques used to predict the flowing aquifer’s presence are not unusual for earth science. Scientists have explained that the research results are preliminary, and that the definite scientific validation
of the existence of the flowing aquifer is to be expected in a few years.
Aquifer
An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, approximately 6000 kilometres (3,728.2 mi) long. Its discovery was announced in 2011. The unofficial name is in honour of scientist Valiya Mannathal Hamza
Valiya Hamza
Dr. Valiya Mannathal Hamza is an Indian/Brazilian scientist credited with co-discovering, together with Elizabeth Taveres Pimentel, the "Rio Hamza" or Hamza River which runs underneath the much more well-known Amazon...
, of Brazil's National Observatory, who has undertaken research on the region for four decades.
Description
Drainage system (Geomorphology)
In geomorphology, a drainage system is the pattern formed by the streams, rivers, and lakes in a particular drainage basin. They are governed by the topography of the land, whether a particular region is dominated by hard or soft rocks, and the gradient of the land. Geomorphologists and...
for the Amazon Basin
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
, although the Hamza only has a flow rate
Volumetric flow rate
The volumetric flow rate in fluid dynamics and hydrometry, is the volume of fluid which passes through a given surface per unit time...
3% the size of the Amazon — about 3000 cubic metres (105,944 cu ft) per second. It runs west to east, some 4000 metres (13,123.4 ft) below the Earth's surface, and follows roughly the path of the Amazon river
Amazon River
The Amazon of South America is the second longest river in the world and by far the largest by waterflow with an average discharge greater than the next seven largest rivers combined...
. The Hamza empties in the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, deep under the surface, and may be responsible for the low salinity
Salinity
Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...
around the mouth of the Amazon River. Its own water has a high salt content
Salinity
Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...
.
Research status and debate
The Hamza was discovered by a team of scientists led by Valiya HamzaValiya Hamza
Dr. Valiya Mannathal Hamza is an Indian/Brazilian scientist credited with co-discovering, together with Elizabeth Taveres Pimentel, the "Rio Hamza" or Hamza River which runs underneath the much more well-known Amazon...
using thermal data collected from 241 inactive oil well
Oil well
An oil well is a general term for any boring through the earth's surface that is designed to find and acquire petroleum oil hydrocarbons. Usually some natural gas is produced along with the oil. A well that is designed to produce mainly or only gas may be termed a gas well.-History:The earliest...
s in the area, drilled in the 1970s and 1980s, by the Petrobras
Petrobras
Petróleo Brasileiro or Petrobras is a semi-public Brazilian multinational energy corporation headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest company in Latin America by market capitalization and revenue, and the largest company headquartered in the Southern Hemisphere by market...
oil company. Calculations from these data showed that a larger flow should exist. Direct observation of water movement at a very low rate can be difficult. The speed of flow is slower than that of an average glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
, and Dr. Hamza himself says that the team uses the term ‘river’ in a general sense, not in the conventional sense. In the title to the original paper, the word ‘river’ appears in quotation mark
Quotation mark
Quotation marks or inverted commas are punctuation marks at the beginning and end of a quotation, direct speech, literal title or name. Quotation marks can also be used to indicate a different meaning of a word or phrase than the one typically associated with it and are often used to express irony...
s.
The evidence was presented at the 12th International Congress of the Brazilian Geophysical Society in Rio de Janeiro and as of August 2011 has not yet been published, although the research team noted that the techniques used to predict the flowing aquifer’s presence are not unusual for earth science. Scientists have explained that the research results are preliminary, and that the definite scientific validation
Internal validity
Internal validity is the validity of inferences in scientific studies, usually based on experiments as experimental validity.- Details :...
of the existence of the flowing aquifer is to be expected in a few years.