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Scientists discovered an underground aquifer beneath the Amazon River called Hamza River, nearly equal in length and twice the width of the Amazon. It is slower and carries less water than its above-ground partner. The Amazon is the world’s largest river by water flow volume and supplies 20% of the world’s fresh water.
Everyone knows the Amazon River is one of the most amazing wonders on Earth, but did you know it has an underground counterpart? In 2011, scientists discovered something incredible far beneath the Amazon: an aquifer (an underground layer of permeable rock that carries water) nearly equal in length and about twice the width of the Amazon, which has been called unofficially Hamza River. Researchers discovered the aquifer after examining data from hundreds of oil wells drilled along the river several decades ago. Based on thermal readings, scientists believe the Hamza, which runs west to east, is mostly 13,000 feet (3,962 m) below the surface. While the find is surprising and impressive, the Hamza cannot compare in many ways to its above-ground partner. Only about 1 million gallons (3,900 cubic meters) of water pass through it per second, compared to 35 million gallons (133,000 cubic meters) in the Amazon. It’s also considerably slower: It can take a full year for water in the Hamza to travel 330 feet (100.5m), while the Amazon flows that far in an hour. For the record, although the Amazon is the world’s largest river by volume of water flow, it is generally considered the second longest, after the Nile.
All about the Amazon:
Although Brazil contains 60 percent of the Amazon, the source of the river is believed to be in Peru’s Andes.
The Amazon River supplies 20% of the fresh water flowing into the world’s oceans.
The mouth of the Amazon River is more than 200 miles (320 km) wide.
