Amazonas: Manaus – Meeting of the Waters
Meeting of the waters is a place near Manaus where the two main Amazon contributing rivers meet – the Rio Negro and Solimoes. Rio Negro brings slow moving deep brown waters from Columbia, while Solimoes flows from the Andes and its waters are white with silt. The rivers collide near Manaus and the water doesn’t mix for nearly 7km. The reason for such an effect is the water’s density, speed, and temperature. Rio Negro is +28C, slow moving at 2km/hr, and is almost sterile pure and acidic (worse then Coca Cola). Solimoes is colder at +22C, full of Andean silt and impurities, and flows at 6km/hr. A short boat trip takes you to the meeting of the waters and then back and forth (you can stick you hand into the water and feel the temperature change).
