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- A tributary is a freshwater stream that feeds into a larger stream or river. The larger, or parent, river is called the mainstem. The point where a tributary meets the mainstem is called the confluence. Tributaries, also called affluents, do not flow directly into the ocean. Most large rivers are formed from many tributaries.
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Oct 19, 2023 · A tributary is a freshwater stream that feeds into a larger stream or river. The larger, or parent, river is called the mainstem. The point where a tributary meets the mainstem is called the confluence. Tributaries, also called affluents, do not flow directly into the ocean.
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An early tributary is a tributary that joins the main stem river closer to its source than its mouth, that is, before the river's midpoint; a late tributary joins the main stem further downstream, closer to its mouth than to its source, that is, after the midpoint.
Sep 15, 2014 · A tributary is a river or stream that enters a larger body of water, especially a lake or river. The receiving water into which a tributary feeds is called the “mainstem,” and the point where they come together is referred to as the “confluence.”
Nov 30, 2018 · Geographers and potamologists, those who study rivers, define a tributary as a stream or river or that flows to and drains into a larger stream, larger river, called a parent river or main stem, or a lake. By carrying snowmelt and runoff, tributaries feed larger rivers and help drain a drainage basin, which eventually flows into a sea or ocean.
A river basin is an area of land drained by a river and its tributaries. River basins have typical features, these include: Tributary – a smaller river or stream flowing into a larger river. A confluence – where a river joins another river.