River Yellow River - the river with the most sediment in the world. Yellow River, the mother river of China. If the motherland is compared to a rooster standing erect, the Yellow River is the artery of the rooster's heart. The Yellow River has a flow length of 5,464 kilometers and a drainage area of ??752,442 square kilometers. Thousands of tributaries and streams are like countless capillaries, continuously delivering vitality and vitality to the motherland.

[Edit this paragraph]Basic information

Length 5464 kilometers, source altitude 4675 meters, average flow 1774. River Yellow River (Yellow River) - the one with the highest sand content in the world river. Yellow River, the mother river of China. If the motherland is compared to a rooster standing erect, the Yellow River is the artery of the rooster's heart. The Yellow River has a flow length of 5,464 kilometers and a drainage area of ??752,442 square kilometers. Thousands of tributaries and streams are like countless capillaries, continuously delivering vitality and vitality to the motherland. 5 cubic meters per second, with a basin area of ??752,442 square kilometers. The source is in Qinghai Province and flows into the Bohai Sea. The dividing point between the upper and middle reaches is Jiumengjin. Origin: Yuegu Zongliequ at the northern foot of Bayan Har Mountain is the source of the Yellow River.

[Edit this paragraph] Natural features

The Yellow River is the second longest river in my country and the fifth longest river in the world. It originates from the Bayan Hara Mountains in Qinghai, and its main stream runs through nine provinces and autonomous regions: Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, and Shandong, with a total length of 5,464 kilometers, a drainage area of ??752,442 square kilometers, an annual runoff of 57.4 billion cubic meters, and an average runoff depth of 79 meters. However, the water volume is not as large as that of the Pearl River. There are 35 major tributaries along the river. The larger tributaries are in the upper reaches, including Huangshui River and Tao River. In the middle reaches, there are Qingshui River, Fen River, Wei River and Qin River, and in the lower reaches, there are Yi River and Luo River. There are no lakes on both sides of the river, the lower reaches of the Yellow River are very small, and there are very few rivers flowing into the Yellow River. The mouth of the Yellow River is 1,500 meters wide, usually 500 meters, and the narrower part is only 300 meters. The water depth is generally 2.5 meters, and in some places the depth is only 1.2 to 1.3 meters.

Yellow River

[Edit this paragraph] Geographic environment

From the source of the river to Guide, there are many mountains and grassland plateaus, belonging to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with an altitude of 3,000 meters. Above, the peaks exceed 4,000 meters, and the source valley is 4,200 meters above sea level; the section from Guide to Mengjin is the Loess Plateau area, which is the western slope of Luliang, the Wei River Valley to the south, the Ordos Plateau to the north, and the Lanzhou Valley to the west; the Loess Plateau is The altitude of the plateau is generally 1,000 to 1,300 meters. The terrain is uneven, with steep slopes and deep ravines. The gully ground slope is 15 to 20 degrees. The gully area accounts for 40 to 50%. The channel density is 3 to 5 kilometers per square kilometer. The cutting depth is more than 100 meters; Below Mengjin, it enters the low-lying North China Plain, with an altitude of no more than 50 meters. After entering the lower reaches, the river is flat, with an average specific drop of only 0.12. The water flow slows down, a large amount of sediment accumulates, and the river bed is 4 to 5 meters above the ground; due to the many times the Yellow River The land was diverted, and alluvial fan-shaped ancient river beds and ancient natural embankments formed on the ground, turning into a sloping plain with gentle hills and depressions alternately distributed. The depressions are relatively open and flat.

[Edit this paragraph] Basin Overview

The Yellow River reaches its upper reaches from the source to Hekou Town, Tuoketuo County, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, with a river length of 3,472 kilometers; from Hekou Town to Taohuayu, Zhengzhou, Henan The middle reaches are the middle reaches, with a river length of 1,206 kilometers; the lower reaches below Taohuayu Valley are the lower reaches, with a river length of 786 kilometers. (There are many opinions on the division of the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. The division plan of the Yellow River Conservancy Commission is used here.) The Yellow River traverses China from east to west. The basin is 1,900 kilometers long from east to west and 1,100 kilometers wide from north to south, with a total area of ??752,443 square kilometers.

The Yellow River, like a lion with its back arched and head held high, crosses the mountains of Qinghai and Gansu Provinces from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau; crosses the Hetao Plains of Ningxia and Inner Mongolia; and gallops between Shanxi and Shaanxi Among the high mountains and deep valleys; break through the "Dragon Gate", turn east at the foot of Huashan Mountain in Xiyue, cross the North China Plain, and rush to the coast of the Bohai Sea. It flows through 9 provinces and regions, gathering more than 40 main tributaries and more than 1,000 streams, with a journey of 5,464 kilometers and a drainage area of ??more than 750,000 square kilometers. It is the second longest river in China.

The average annual precipitation in the entire basin is about 400 mm, while the average annual runoff of the Yellow River is only 57.4 billion cubic meters, ranking eighth among Chinese rivers. Within the basin, together with the downstream Henan and Shandong riverside areas, there are more than 200 million acres of cultivated land and a population of about 100 million.

The annual average natural runoff of the entire Yellow River is 58 billion cubic meters, the average annual runoff depth in the basin is 77 mm, the per capita water volume in the basin is 593 cubic meters, and the average water volume per mu of cultivated land is 324 cubic meters.

The middle reaches of the Yellow River flows through the Loess Plateau. Due to soil erosion, the tributaries bring in a large amount of sediment, making the Yellow River the river with the most sediment in the world. The maximum annual sand transport volume reached 3.91 billion tons (1933), and the maximum sand content was 920 kg/cubic meter (1977). The annual average sediment transport volume of Sanmenxia Station is about 1.6 billion tons, and the average sediment content is 35 kg/cubic meter.

Main tributaries

The main tributaries of the Yellow River are Baihe River, Heihe River, Huangshui River, Zuli River, Qingshui River, Dahei River, Kuye River, Wuding River, Fenhe River, Weihe River, Luohe River, Qinhe River, Dawen River, etc.

The Weihe River is the largest tributary of the Yellow River.

The main lakes

are Zhaling Lake, Eling Lake, Wuliangsuhai and Dongping Lake.

Mainstream Canyons

There are 30 canyons on the main stream of the Yellow River, 28 in the upper reaches, 2 in the middle reaches, and the lower reaches flow through North China. Plains, no canyons. The total length of the main stream canyon section is 1,707 kilometers, accounting for 31.2% of the total length of the main stream.

[Edit this paragraph] Biological resources

There are 121 species (subspecies) of fish in the main stream of the Yellow River, and there are 98 species of pure freshwater fish in the main stream, accounting for 10% of the total. 78.4%. The main commercial fish are spotted carp, polar flat-toothed carp, thick-lipped carp, yellow river carps, Valsalva's yarrow, northern copper carp (pigeon fish), carp, and crucian carp. There are only 16 species of fish in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, and their composition is relatively simple. There are only Schizothorax, Yaluo, and Loach from the families Cyprinidae and Loach. The fish species in the middle and lower reaches are generally similar, with Cyprinidae being the main species. There are 71 species of fish in the middle reaches, but there is a lack of natural fish species such as silver carp, bighead carp, bream, and bream. The upper reaches of the middle reaches have schizothorax and striped loach, which are unique to the upper reaches. The fish species in the lower reaches are similar to those in the upper reaches. There are a large number of them, with 78 species, including a variety of estuary fish and brackish water fish. According to the survey data of the tributaries of the Yellow River, according to the fish statistics of the Tao River in Gansu, the Wei River, and the Jing River in Shaanxi, the Wei River has more species in its waters, with 30 species, followed by the Tao River with 11 species, and the Jing River with only 4 species. kind. Most of the tributaries in the upper and middle reaches are small fishes of the family Cyprinidae and Loachidae, and there are also a few fishes of the family Cyprinidae and catfish. The economic fish are carp, crucian carp, yarrow and catfish.

[Edit this paragraph] River segmentation

There are many opinions on the boundaries of the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. The Yellow River Water Conservancy Commission uses Hekou Town and Taohuayu to divide the upper, middle and lower reaches; traditional middle school textbooks use Hekou Town and Mengjin to divide the upper, middle and lower reaches; after investigation, scholar Yang Liankang believes that Qingtongxia and Mengjin are more appropriate; scholar Xu Shaoli advocates Jiayingguan, Wuzhi County, Jiaozuo City, Henan Province is used as the dividing line between the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. The following is the division plan of the Yellow River Water Conservancy Commission.

Upstream

The section of the Yellow River above Hekou Town in Togtuo County, Inner Mongolia is the upper reaches of the Yellow River. The total length of the upper reaches is 3,472 kilometers, with a drainage area of ??386,000 square kilometers. The drainage area accounts for 51.3% of the total volume of the Yellow River. The total drop in the upper reaches is 3496 meters, and the average ratio is reduced to 10‰; the river reaches 43 large tributaries (with a basin area of ??more than 1000 square kilometers), and the runoff accounts for 54% of the entire river; the annual sediment volume in the upper reaches is only It accounts for 8% of the annual sediment load of the entire river. It has more water and less sand, and is the source of clean water for the Yellow River. The upper reaches of the river are controlled by Animaqing Mountain, Xiqing Mountain and Qinghai Nanshan and are curved in an S shape. The upper reaches of the Yellow River can be divided into three parts: the source section, the canyon section and the alluvial plain according to different river channel characteristics.

The upper part from Qinghai Qariqu to Qinghai Guide Longyang Gorge is the river source section. The river source section starts from Kariqu, passes through Xingxiu Sea, Zhaling Lake, and Eling Lake to Maduo, bypasses Animaqing Mountain and Xiqing Mountain, and passes through Longyang Gorge to Guide, Qinghai.

Most of the rivers in this section flow through the plateau at a height of three to four thousand meters. The rivers are winding and winding, with mostly lakes, swamps, and grassy beaches on both sides. The water quality is relatively clear, the flow is stable, and the water production is large. There are Zhaling Lake and Eling Lake in the river section. Both lakes are above 4,260 meters above sea level. Their water storage capacity is 4.7 billion cubic meters and 10.8 billion cubic meters respectively. They are the largest plateau freshwater lakes in China. From Maduo in Qinghai to Maqu in Gansu, the Yellow River flows through the ancient basin and low hills between the Bayan Har Mountains and the Animaqing Mountains. Most of the river valleys are wide, with occasional canyons. From Maqu in Gansu to Longyang Gorge in Guide, Qinghai, the Yellow River flows through mountain canyons with rapid water flow and rich water resources. The Baihe River and Heihe River, tributaries originating from Minshan Mountain in Sichuan, merge into the Yellow River in this section.

The section from Longyang Gorge in Qinghai to Qingtong Gorge in Ningxia is the canyon section. This section of the river flows through mountainous hills. Due to the different rock properties, it forms a situation of alternating canyons and wide valleys: canyons are formed in the hard gneiss, granite and Nanshan metamorphic rock sections, and canyons are formed in the loose sand shale and red rock sections. The lot forms a wide valley. There are 20 canyons in this section, including Longyang Gorge, Jishi Gorge, Liujia Gorge, Bapan Gorge, and Qingtong Gorge. Both sides of the canyon are steep cliffs, with narrow river beds, large river channel gradients, and rapid water flow. This section between Guide and Lanzhou is one of the three concentrated tributaries of the Yellow River. Important tributaries such as the Tao River and Huangshui River merge into it, which greatly increases the water volume of the Yellow River. The main stream section from Longyangxia to Xiaheyan in Ningxia is a "rich ore" area of ??the Yellow River's hydropower resources, and is also one of China's key hydropower bases for development and construction.

The section from Qingtongxia in Ningxia to Hekou Town in Togtuo County in Inner Mongolia is an alluvial plain. After the Yellow River leaves Qingtong Gorge, it flows northeast along the northwest boundary of the Ordos Plateau, and then eastward to Hekou Town. Most of the area along the river is desert and desert steppe, with basically no tributaries flowing into it. The main stream has a gentle bed and slow flow. There are large alluvial plains on both sides of the river, namely the famous Yinchuan Plain and Hetao Plain. Floods and freezing floods exist in varying degrees along the river plains. The Hetao Plain stretches from Xiaheyan in Ningxia in the west to Hekou Town in Inner Mongolia in the east. It is 900 kilometers long and 30 to 50 kilometers wide. It is a famous Yellow River diversion irrigation area with a long history of irrigation. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "the Yellow River has all kinds of harms, but only one rich one" statement.

Middle Reaches

The section of the Yellow River between Hekou Town, Tuoketuo County, Inner Mongolia and Taohua Valley, Zhengzhou, Henan Province is the middle reaches of the Yellow River. The river is 1,206 kilometers long and the drainage area is 344,000 square kilometers. Accounting for 45.7% of the entire basin area; the total drop in the middle reaches is 890 meters, with an average drop of 0.74‰; the river segment merges into 30 larger tributaries; the increased water volume in the interval accounts for 42.5% of the Yellow River water volume, and the increased sediment volume accounts for the entire Yellow River sediment volume 92, which is the main source of sediment in the Yellow River.

Hekou Town to Yumenkou is the longest continuous canyon on the main stream of the Yellow River - the Shanxi-Shaanxi Gorge. Most of the tributaries in the river section flow through the loess hilly and gully areas, causing serious soil erosion and the thick mud of the Yellow River. The main source of sand, 900 million tons of the 1.6 billion tons of annual average sand transport in the entire river for many years come from this interval; this section of the river has a large specific drop and rich water resources, and is the second largest hydropower base in the Yellow River; the lower section of the canyon has the famous Hukou Waterfall is a magnificent waterfall with a deep groove width of only 30 to 50 meters and a drop of about 18 meters in low water.

From Yukoumen to Sanmenxia, ??the Yellow River flows through the Fenwei Plain. The valley widens and the water flow is slow. On both sides of the river are the Weibei and Shanxi loess plateaus, which are important agricultural areas in Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces. This section of the river receives important tributaries such as the Fenhe River, Luohe River, Jinghe River, Weihe River, Yiluo River, and Qinhe River. It is one of the main sources of sediment in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, with an average annual sediment volume of 550 million tons for many years. The 132.5-kilometer-long river section from Yumenkou to Tongguan (i.e., the Xiaobei Mainstream of the Yellow River) undergoes drastic changes in erosion and siltation, and the river course swings unsteadily from side to side. This river section is restricted by mountains near Tongguan, and the valley suddenly narrows, forming a natural bayonet with a width of only more than 1,000 meters. The height of the Tongguan river bed is closely related to the erosion and siltation changes of the Xiaobei Mainstream of the Yellow River and the lower reaches of the Weihe River, so it has " The hydrological term "Tongguan elevation".

The river section between Sanmenxia and Taohuayu is divided into two parts from Xiaolangdi: above Xiaolangdi, the river runs between Zhongtiao Mountain and Weishan Mountain, and is the last canyon on the main stream of the Yellow River; below Xiaolangdi, The valley gradually widens and is the transitional section of the Yellow River from mountainous areas to plains.

Downstream

The section of the Yellow River below Taohua Valley in Zhengzhou, Henan Province is the lower reaches of the Yellow River. The river is 786 kilometers long and the drainage area is only 23,000 square kilometers, accounting for 3% of the entire drainage area; The total drop in the lower reaches is 93.6 meters, with an average drop of 0.12‰; the increased water volume in the interval accounts for 3.5 of the Yellow River water volume. Due to the large amount of sediment in the Yellow River, long-term siltation in the lower reaches has formed the world-famous "hanging river above ground". The Yellow River is confined within the embankment and becomes the watershed between the Haihe River Basin and the Huaihe River Basin. Except for the Dawen River which flows in from Dongping Lake, there are no major tributaries in this section of the river.

Except for the low hills and mountains on the south bank from Dongping Lake to Jinan, the rest of the downstream river section relies on embankments to retain water. The total length of embankments is more than 1,400 kilometers. Historically, the lower reaches of the river have experienced frequent breaches and flooding, bringing heavy disasters to the Chinese nation. Because the lower reaches of the Yellow River flow from southwest to northeast, the northern reaches of the river freeze first in winter, resulting in freezing floods. Freezing floods can easily cause ice dams to become clogged, causing embankments to burst and overflow, posing a serious threat.

The downstream section below Lijin is the mouth section of the Yellow River. The mouth of the Yellow River continues to extend and swing due to sedimentation. The current entrance of the Yellow River is located at the intersection of Bohai Bay and Laizhou Bay. It is a new river channel shaped by the siltation of Qingshui ditch after artificial diversion in 1976. In the past 40 years, the average amount of sediment transported by the Yellow River to the estuary area is about 1 billion tons per year, with an average net land creation of 25 to 30 square kilometers per year.

From the source of the river to Guide, there are many mountains and grassland plateaus, which belong to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with an altitude of more than 3,000 meters. The peaks are more than 4,000 meters, and the source valley is 4,200 meters above sea level. The section from Guide to the Mengjin River is made of loess. In the plateau area, the Loess Plateau is the western slope of Luliang, the Wei River Valley in the south, the Ordos Plateau in the north, and the Lanzhou Valley in the west. The Loess Plateau generally has an altitude of 1,000 to 1,300 meters. The terrain is uneven, with steep slopes and deep ravines, and the gully ground slope is 15 ~20 degrees, the valley area accounts for 40-50%, the channel density is 3-5 km/km2, and the cutting depth is more than 100 meters; below Mengjin, it enters the low-lying North China Plain, with an altitude of no more than 50 meters. The river course becomes flat after entering the downstream. The average specific drop is only 0.12, the water flow slows down, a large amount of sediment accumulates, and the river bed is 4 to 5 meters above the ground. Due to the repeated changes in the course of the Yellow River, fan-shaped ancient river beds and ancient natural embankments have been alluvial on the ground, forming a landscape alternately distributed with gentle hills and depressions. Sloping plains, depressions are relatively open and flat