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Finke RiverThe Finke River is the main river in Central Australia. It rises in the Northern Territory's MacDonnell Ranges from the confluence of the Davenport Creek and Ormiston Creek, and meanders nearly 700 km to the edge of the Simpson desert in South Australia. Usually the river is a string of waterholes, but it can become a raging torrent after floods. Many scientists - and tourguides - say, that the Finke River is the oldest river of the world. Here is a quote on this topic: Given that, many scientists cite the Finke River, in central Australia, as the most ancient. Vic Baker, a paleohydrologist at the University of Arizona, in Tucson, says that while this is far from verifiable, the Finke is definitely very old. The reason: It runs in a line perpendicular to the local geological structurein this case, a couple of mountain rangesan indication that the river was present before the structure formed. As the mountains pushed up, the river cut deep canyons, the rimrock of which shows 400 million years of erosion. Since it can be presumed that this rock was once at river level, the river must be at least 400 million years old. Mind you, as with other "world's oldest rivers," most interest in the topic comes not from scientists but from local tourist boards. "I guess it sounds sexy," Baker speculates, "to say your town has the oldest river." Quoted from: http://outside.away.com/outside/news/200402/200402_wildfile.html
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