This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (March 2019) |
A number of rivers are known to have reversed the direction of their flow, either permanently or temporarily, in response to geological activity, weather events, climate change, or direct human intervention.
River | Original outlet | Current outlet | Continent | Date of reversal | Cause of reversal | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Amazon River | Pacific Ocean | Atlantic Ocean | South America | Cretaceous period | Formation of Andes Mountains | [1] |
Wisconsin River | Great Lakes Basin | Mississippi River | North America | Pleistocene Epoch | Pre-Illinoian glaciers | [2] |
River | Original outlet | Current outlet | Continent | Date of reversal | Cause of reversal | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chicago River | Lake Michigan | Mississippi River | North America | 1900 | Construction of Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal | [1] |
All tidal sections of rivers reverse their flow with the tide about twice a day (or semidiurnally), by definition. The following are notable examples.[3]
River | Outlet | Continent | References |
---|---|---|---|
Hudson River | Upper New York Bay | North America | [3] |
Saint John River (Reversing Falls) | Bay of Fundy | North America | [4] |
Salmon River | Bay of Fundy | North America | [5] |
River | Outlet | Continent | Cause of reversal | References |
---|---|---|---|---|
Krupa River | Neretva River | Europe | High water levels of the Neretva River | [6] |
Petexbatún River | Pasión River | Central America | Winter rain flooding of the Pasión River | [7] |
Qiantang River | Hangzhou Bay | Asia | Tidal bore in Hangzhou Bay | [8] |
Tonlé Sap River | Mekong River | Asia | Monsoon flooding of the Mekong River | [9] |
Hurricane storm surges often cause temporary reversals of coastal rivers.[1]
River | Outlet | Continent | Date of reversal | Cause of reversal | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chicago River[a] | Mississippi River | North America | 2017 and others[b] | Storm surge | [10] |
Mississippi River | Gulf of Mexico | North America | 1812 | Tectonic uplift caused by New Madrid earthquakes | [11] |
2005 | Storm surge from Hurricane Katrina | [1] | |||
2012 | Storm surge from Hurricane Isaac | [1][12] | |||
2021 | Storm surge from Hurricane Ida | [13] |