Field Guides

Rivers and streams are bodies of water that flow from a source point, join with other rivers to form larger rivers, and eventually flow into an ocean or sea. The part of a river or stream that is near the source is called the headwaters. Sources of rivers are usually places like mountains, where melting snow forms the beginning of a river, or springs, where water flows out of the ground. Rivers and streams flow down a gradient (or slope), eventually joining other rivers and streams to form larger rivers. The smaller rivers that join to form a larger one are called “tributaries.” The largest rivers eventually carry all of that water into the ocean. For example, the Saint Lawrence River is a very large river that carries water from the Great Lakes into the Atlantic Ocean.