Mayenne River
Encyclopedia
The Mayenne is a river
in western France
principally located in the French region Pays de la Loire
. Together with the river Sarthe
and its tributary Loir
it forms the river Maine
, which is a tributary to the river Loire.
, between Pré-en-Pail
and Alençon
near the commune of Lalacelle
. The source is in the foothills of Mont des Avaloirs at an altitude of 961 feet (293m) and from there runs from the east to the west until Sept-Forges
, at which point it turns to the south. After being joined by the Oudon
, the Mayenne forms a confluence with the Sarthe
north of Angers
. The confluence of these two rivers is called the Maine, which is the local pronunciation of Mayenne. The waters of the Maine then empty into the Loire south of Angers.
Départements and towns along the river include:
It is featured prominently in the video game Call of Duty 3
.
and Laval
. Two ordinances of Francis I
, in 1536 and 1537, allowing the necessary works. This new route allowed wines from the Loire valley to arrive in Laval.
Important works were also undertaken from 1853 to 1868. In 1863, projects to deepen the river of the Mayenne were undertaken. The Mayenne is navigable from Laval to the Loire
, and is canalized from Laval to Mayenne. In the 19th century, the river allowed the navigation of boats up to 140 tons (130 tonnes), and especially boats carrying construction materials (wood and stone), coal from the mines of L'Huisserie
, grains, fruits, and vegetables.
, granite
, and schist
which form its drainage basin. Thus, for an average flow of 39 m3/s before the Mayenne's confluence with the Oudon
, the yearly minimum flow can range from very low (4 m3/s at Laval) to very high (flash floods with flows of 200 m3/s at Laval and more than 800 m3/s at Chambellay).
The flow of the Mayenne has been observed for a period of 44 years (1965-2008) at Chambellay, situated upstream of the confluence with the Sarthe, and just upstream from where the Oudon joins the Mayenne. At this location, the drainage basin of the river is 4160 km² (1,606.2 sq mi) out of a total of 5820 km² (2,247.1 sq mi), which is less than three quarters of the entire drainage basin (71.5%), and also does not include the flow of the Oudon, the Mayenne's principal tributary.
The average yearly flow at Chambellay is 39.3 m3/s, which corresponds to over 50 m3/s if the rest of the drainage basin were included.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
principally located in the French region Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire is one of the 27 regions of France. It is one of the regions created in the late 20th century to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful so-called "balancing metropolises" ¹...
. Together with the river Sarthe
Sarthe River
The Sarthe is a river in western France. Together with the river Mayenne it forms the river Maine, which is a tributary to the river Loire.Its source is in the Orne département, near Moulins-la-Marche...
and its tributary Loir
Loir
The Loir is a river in western France. It is a left tributary of the Sarthe River. Its source is in the Eure-et-Loir département, north of Illiers-Combray...
it forms the river Maine
Maine River
La Maine is a river , a tributary of the Loire, 12 km long, in the Maine-et-Loire département in France....
, which is a tributary to the river Loire.
Geography
Its source is in the département OrneOrne
Orne is a department in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne.- History :Orne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution, on March 4, 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Normandy and Perche.- Geography :Orne is in the region of...
, between Pré-en-Pail
Pré-en-Pail
Pré-en-Pail is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.-See also:*Communes of Mayenne*Parc naturel régional Normandie-Maine...
and Alençon
Alençon
Alençon is a commune in Normandy, France, capital of the Orne department. It is situated west of Paris. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alençon .-History:...
near the commune of Lalacelle
Lalacelle
Lalacelle is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France....
. The source is in the foothills of Mont des Avaloirs at an altitude of 961 feet (293m) and from there runs from the east to the west until Sept-Forges
Sept-Forges
Sept-Forges is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France....
, at which point it turns to the south. After being joined by the Oudon
Oudon
Oudon is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France....
, the Mayenne forms a confluence with the Sarthe
Sarthe
Sarthe is a French department, named after the Sarthe River.- History :The department was created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790, pursuant to the law of December 22, 1789, starting from a part of the province of Maine which was divided into two departments, Sarthe to the east and...
north of Angers
Angers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
. The confluence of these two rivers is called the Maine, which is the local pronunciation of Mayenne. The waters of the Maine then empty into the Loire south of Angers.
Départements and towns along the river include:
- OrneOrneOrne is a department in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne.- History :Orne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution, on March 4, 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Normandy and Perche.- Geography :Orne is in the region of...
- MayenneMayenneMayenne is a department in northwest France named after the Mayenne River.-History:Mayenne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. The northern two thirds correspond to the western part of the former province of Maine...
: MayenneMayenne, MayenneMayenne is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is situated on the river Mayenne.-History:In medieval times, the town was the seat of the Lords of Mayenne...
, LavalLaval, MayenneLaval is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.It lies on the threshold of Brittany and on the border between Normandy and Anjou. Its citizens are called Lavallois.-Geography:...
, Château-GontierChâteau-GontierChâteau-Gontier is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.It is about south of Laval, the préfecture of the department of Mayenne. Château-Gontier is home to the Refuge de l'Arche, a refuge for abandoned or mistreated animals.-People:... - Maine-et-LoireMaine-et-LoireMaine-et-Loire is a department in west-central France, in the Pays de la Loire region.- History :Maine-et-Loire is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. Originally it was called Mayenne-et-Loire, but its name was changed to Maine-et-Loire in 1791....
: Chenillé-ChangéChenillé-ChangéChenillé-Changé is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department of western France. It is known for its vibrant homosexual community....
, Chambelay, Montreuil-sur-MaineMontreuil-sur-MaineMontreuil-sur-Maine is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.-Geography:The Oudon River forms the commune's south-western border. The Mayenne River flows south through the middle of the commune....
, Le Lion-d'AngersLe Lion-d'AngersLe Lion-d'Angers is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.-Geography:The Oudon River forms part of the commune’s southern border before joining the Mayenne River, which forms part of the commune’s eastern border.-References:...
, Grez-NeuvilleGrez-NeuvilleGrez-Neuville is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.-Geography:The Oudon River forms part of the commune’s northern border before joining the Mayenne River, which flows south through the commune....
, Montreuil-JuignéMontreuil-JuignéMontreuil-Juigné is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. It is around 10 km north-west of Angers.-See also:*Communes of the Maine-et-Loire department...
, Cantenay-EpinardCantenay-ÉpinardCantenay-Épinard is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France....
, AngersAngersAngers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
.
It is featured prominently in the video game Call of Duty 3
Call of Duty 3
Call of Duty 3 is a World War II first-person shooter and the third installment in the Call of Duty video game series first released on November 7, 2006. It has been released for all three seventh generation video game systems: the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii...
.
Navigation
In the 16th century several works were undertaken to make the Mayenne navigable between Chateau-GontierChâteau-Gontier
Château-Gontier is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.It is about south of Laval, the préfecture of the department of Mayenne. Château-Gontier is home to the Refuge de l'Arche, a refuge for abandoned or mistreated animals.-People:...
and Laval
Laval, Mayenne
Laval is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.It lies on the threshold of Brittany and on the border between Normandy and Anjou. Its citizens are called Lavallois.-Geography:...
. Two ordinances of Francis I
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
, in 1536 and 1537, allowing the necessary works. This new route allowed wines from the Loire valley to arrive in Laval.
Important works were also undertaken from 1853 to 1868. In 1863, projects to deepen the river of the Mayenne were undertaken. The Mayenne is navigable from Laval to the Loire
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
, and is canalized from Laval to Mayenne. In the 19th century, the river allowed the navigation of boats up to 140 tons (130 tonnes), and especially boats carrying construction materials (wood and stone), coal from the mines of L'Huisserie
L'Huisserie
L'Huisserie is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.-See also:*Communes of the Mayenne department...
, grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Flow
In spite of abundant precipitation, the flow of the Mayenne is irregular because of the impermeability of the sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, and schist
Schist
The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...
which form its drainage basin. Thus, for an average flow of 39 m3/s before the Mayenne's confluence with the Oudon
Oudon
Oudon is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France....
, the yearly minimum flow can range from very low (4 m3/s at Laval) to very high (flash floods with flows of 200 m3/s at Laval and more than 800 m3/s at Chambellay).
The flow of the Mayenne has been observed for a period of 44 years (1965-2008) at Chambellay, situated upstream of the confluence with the Sarthe, and just upstream from where the Oudon joins the Mayenne. At this location, the drainage basin of the river is 4160 km² (1,606.2 sq mi) out of a total of 5820 km² (2,247.1 sq mi), which is less than three quarters of the entire drainage basin (71.5%), and also does not include the flow of the Oudon, the Mayenne's principal tributary.
The average yearly flow at Chambellay is 39.3 m3/s, which corresponds to over 50 m3/s if the rest of the drainage basin were included.