The oldest river in the world is older than dinosaurs

Although it may seem that rivers are a permanent element of the landscape, in reality their life cycle is relatively short. There are, however, exceptions, and one of the most fascinating is the Finke River in Australia. Scientists have estimated its age at 300 to 400 million years. This means that the river existed before dinosaurs appeared on Earth, and it can confidently be described as the oldest river in the world.

How can the age of a river be determined?

Estimating the age of the Finke River (known in the language of Indigenous peoples as Larapinta) was a complex process. Scientists combined changes in the course of nearby mountain ranges and river meanders with analyses of the chemical composition of the riverbed, as well as studies of radioactive isotopes.

Victor Baker, a geomorphologist at the University of Arizona, explains that the key evidence confirming the river’s exceptionally long history is a phenomenon known as cross-axial drainage. Under normal conditions, rivers do not cut through hard rock formations but instead choose an easier path along them. In the case of the Finke River and the MacDonnell Ranges, the situation is different. The river channel cuts directly through the uplands, which may indicate that it formed before the mountains were uplifted, a process that occurred during the so-called Alice Springs orogeny, between 450 and 350 million years ago.

Is it really a river?

For most of the year, the Finke River can be difficult to notice. The dry and hot climate of Australia’s interior gives it an intermittent character. Under less favorable conditions, it takes the form of a series of isolated depressions filled with water.

Despite this, it never disappears completely, and its existence is supported, among other factors, by a specific tectonic setting. As Victor Baker explains, the Australian continent has been very stable over the past 100 million years, with no major tectonic movements. Australia also avoided glaciation during the Pleistocene period. As a result, the Finke River system was able to persist and develop without major disturbances.

The oldest river and its counterparts on other continents

The latest research indicates that it is indeed the Finke River that occupies first place on the list of the world’s oldest rivers. Scientists estimate, however, that the age of several watercourses in other parts of the world may be similar.

In Europe, an exceptionally old river is the Meuse, which flows through the Ardennes in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands and empties into the North Sea. It formed during the Hercynian orogeny, and its estimated age is 320 to 340 million years. Another ancient European river is the Rhine, whose formation is dated to around 240 million years ago.

In the United States, the French Broad River is considered the oldest. It rises in North Carolina, flows through the state of Tennessee, and then across the northern Appalachians. Scientists estimate that it has been shaping the landscape of North America for 320 to 340 million years, making it nearly as old as the Finke River. An additional curiosity is the fact that, unlike most rivers in the region, it flows from south to north.

Will the world’s oldest river survive the next millions of years?

Victor Baker, the author of studies on the age of the Finke River, believes that the future of the river is uncertain. On the one hand, ancient rivers have geological conditions that allow them to flow for millions of years to come. On the other hand, if climate change driven by human activity continues to intensify, watercourses may dry up and disappear entirely. Research commissioned by the United Nations in 2024 shows that in recent years, river water levels have been record low across nearly half of the Earth’s surface.

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main photo: Menphrad/Wikimedia