# Subterranean river > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Subterranean_river > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Subterranean_river.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subterranean_river > Source revision: 1352505035 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|River that runs wholly or partly beneath the ground surface}} [[File:Burger OtokKriznaJama.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|A subterranean river in the [Cross Cave](/source/Cross_Cave) system of [Slovenia](/source/Slovenia). (Scale shown by people in photograph.)]] A '''subterranean river''' (also known as an '''underground river''') is a [river](/source/river) or [watercourse](/source/watercourse) that runs wholly or partly beneath the [ground](/source/land), one where the riverbed does not represent the surface of the Earth.{{Cite web |last=Sosa |first=Jeff |date=2024-06-21 |title=What is a underground river called? |url=https://www.ncesc.com/geographic-faq/what-is-a-underground-river-called/ |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=Geographic FAQ Hub: Answers to Your Global Questions |language=en-US}} It is distinct from an [aquifer](/source/aquifer), which may flow like a river but is contained within a [permeable](/source/Permeable_rock) layer of rock or other unconsolidated materials. A river flowing below ground level in an open [gorge](/source/gorge) is not classed as subterranean.[https://archive.org/details/cu31924013977560 William Herbert Hobbs, ''Earth Features and Their Meaning: An Introduction to Geology for the Student and the General Reader'', Macmillan, 1912, pages 182 and 189.] Some natural rivers may be entirely subterranean, collecting in and flowing through [cave](/source/cave) systems. In [karst topography](/source/karst_topography), rivers that originate above ground can disappear into [sinkhole](/source/sinkhole)s, continuing underground until they reappear on the surface downstream, possibly having merged with other subterranean rivers. The longest subterranean river in the world is the [Sistema Sac Actun](/source/Sistema_Sac_Actun) cave system in Mexico."Underwater cave is the world’s biggest", Mexico Daily News, January 15, 2018, https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/underwater-cave-is-worlds-biggest/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106151230/https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/underwater-cave-is-worlds-biggest/ |date=2018-11-06 }} Subterranean rivers can also be the result of covering over a river or diverting its flow into [culvert](/source/culvert)s, usually as part of [urban development](/source/urban_development).Richard J. Heggen: ''[http://www.unm.edu/~rheggen/UndergroundRivers.html Underground Rivers from the River Styx to the Rio San Buenaventura with Occasional Diversions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160721162218/http://www.unm.edu/~rheggen/UndergroundRivers.html |date=2016-07-21 }}'', University of New Mexico. Reversing this process is known as ["daylighting"](/source/daylighting_(streams)) a watercourse and is a major form of visible river restoration. Successful examples include the [Cheonggyecheon](/source/Cheonggyecheon) in the centre of [Seoul](/source/Seoul).{{cite news |first= Andrew C. |last= Revkin |title= Rolling Back Pavement to Expose Watery Havens |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/world/asia/17daylight.html?_r=1 |work= [New York Times](/source/New_York_Times) |date=16 July 2009|access-date=16 March 2010}}{{cite news | first =Donald | last =Kirk | url =https://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1013/p07s01-woap.html | title =Seoul peels back concrete to let a river run freely once again | work =World>Asia Pacific | publisher =The Christian Science Monitor | date =2005-10-13 | access-date =2006-08-21 }} Some fish (colloquially known as [cavefish](/source/cavefish)) and other [troglobite](/source/troglobite) organisms are adapted to life in subterranean rivers and lakes.William B. White and David C. Culver (eds), ''Encyclopedia of Caves'', 2nd ed, Academic Press, 2012, {{ISBN|0123838339}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=aH3ymyEURHoC&pg=PA468 p. 468.] Examples of subterranean rivers also occur in mythology and literature. ==Natural examples== [[File:Buna source.jpg|thumb|200px|right|The cave of [source of the Buna](/source/Vrelo_Bune) can be entered by boat and dived through a cave system serving as an effluence of the [Zalomka](/source/Zalomka_river).]] [[File:Caves entranceexit.jpg|thumb|200px|right|The [Puerto Princesa](/source/Puerto_Princesa_Subterranean_River_National_Park) cave can be entered by boat.]] 200x200px|thumb|right|Devil's Throat Cave subterranean river from above There are many natural examples of subterranean rivers. Among them: *In [Bosnia and Herzegovina](/source/Bosnia_and_Herzegovina): [Unac](/source/Unac_(river)); Mušnica-[Trebišnjica](/source/Trebi%C5%A1njica)-[Krupa](/source/Krupa_(Neretva))/[Ombla](/source/Ombla) ''(Ombla springs out of huge cave near [Dubrovnik](/source/Dubrovnik), [Croatia](/source/Croatia) and after just ca. 30 meters empties into [Adriatic Sea](/source/Adriatic_Sea)'s [ria](/source/ria) called [Rijeka Dubrovačka](/source/Rijeka_Dubrova%C4%8Dka))''; [Zalomka](/source/Zalomka_river)-[Buna](/source/Buna_(Neretva))/[Bunica](/source/Bunica_(river))/[Bregava](/source/Bregava); [Vrljika](/source/Vrljika_River)-[Trebižat](/source/Trebi%C5%BEat_(river)); [Lištica](/source/Li%C5%A1tica_(river))-Jasenica; [Šuica](/source/%C5%A0uica_(river))-Ričina{{cite web |title=Devon Karst: Karst of the Dinaric Alps - the Dinarides in Bosnia and Herzegovina |url=http://www.devonkarst.org.uk/Karstography%20of%20DINARIC%20KARST%20in%20BiH.html |website=devonkarst.org.uk |access-date=5 July 2018 |archive-date=16 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200816113149/http://www.devonkarst.org.uk/Karstography%2520of%2520DINARIC%2520KARST%2520in%2520BiH.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |title=Devon Karst: Gatačko Polje - GP-Ponor Dobrelji |url=http://www.devonkarst.org.uk/Gatacko%20Polje/GP-Ponor%20-%20Dobrelji.html |website=devonkarst.org.uk |access-date=5 July 2018}} *In [Bulgaria](/source/Bulgaria): **[Banderishka reka](/source/Banderishki_Lakes), subterranean section below [Kutelo](/source/Kutelo) Peak, [Pirin Mountain](/source/Pirin) **[Struma River](/source/Struma_River) subterranean currents in [Duhlata cave](/source/Duhlata), [Vitosha](/source/Vitosha) Mountain **[Negovanka](/source/Negovanka) River subterranean currents in [Emen cave](/source/Emen%2C_Bulgaria), [Veliko Tarnovo](/source/Veliko_Tarnovo) Province **[Trigradska reka](/source/Trigrad_Gorge), subterranean section where [Devil's Throat Cave](/source/Devil's_Throat_Cave) and [Trigrad Gorge](/source/Trigrad_Gorge), [Rhodope Mountains](/source/Rhodope_Mountains) *The [Camuy River](/source/Camuy_River) located in the northwestern region of [Puerto Rico](/source/Puerto_Rico) is one of the{{cite web|url=http://places.eyetour.com/whatToSee/camuy/56/parque-de-las-cavernas-del-rio-camuy|title=Parque de las Cavernas del Río Camuy - Video Guide - Camuy, Puerto Rico - EyeTour.com|website=places.eyetour.com}} largest underground river systems in the world. * The [Cross Cave](/source/Cross_Cave) system in [Loška Dolina](/source/Lo%C5%A1ka_Dolina), [Slovenia](/source/Slovenia) includes 22 [subterranean lake](/source/subterranean_lake)s * The [Lost River](/source/Lost_River_(Cacapon_River)) in the [Appalachian Mountains](/source/Appalachian_Mountains) of [West Virginia](/source/West_Virginia) disappears underground and reappears as the [Cacapon River](/source/Cacapon_River) * The [Mojave River](/source/Mojave_River) in southern [California](/source/California) flows underground in most places * The [Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park](/source/Phong_Nha-K%E1%BA%BB_B%C3%A0ng_National_Park) in [Vietnam](/source/Vietnam) has an underground river flowing through its cave system * The [Puerto Princesa Subterranean River](/source/Puerto_Princesa_Subterranean_River_National_Park) on the island of [Palawan](/source/Palawan), [Philippines](/source/Philippines) flows underground before emerging into the [South China Sea](/source/South_China_Sea){{cite web|url=http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2012/09/05/administrative-order-no-29-s-2012/|title=Administrative Order No. 29, s. 2012 - GOVPH|website=officialgazette.gov.ph|date=5 September 2012 }} * The [Punkva](/source/Punkva) in [Moravian Karst](/source/Moravian_Karst), [Moravia](/source/Moravia), [Czech Republic](/source/Czech_Republic) underground river flowing through cave system - [Punkva Caves](/source/Punkva_Caves) and [Macocha gorge](/source/Macocha_Gorge). * The [Santa Fe River](/source/Santa_Fe_River_(Florida)) in northern [Florida](/source/Florida) drops into a large [sinkhole](/source/sinkhole) in [O'Leno State Park](/source/O'Leno_State_Park) and reappears in the adjacent [River Rise Preserve State Park](/source/River_Rise_Preserve_State_Park), {{convert|3|mi}} downstream. * The [Reka](/source/Reka_(river)) in Slovenia, which disappears in the [Škocjan Caves](/source/%C5%A0kocjan_Caves), re-emerges as part of the [Timavo](/source/Timavo) in Italy.{{Cite journal |last=ALEXANDER |first=PAUL B. |date=1970 |title=The Reka-Timavo River System of the Yugoslavian and Italian Karst |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24041059 |journal=Yearbook of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers |volume=32 |pages=157–165 |jstor=24041059 |issn=0066-9628}} ==Artificial examples== [[File:Effra vauxhall 2.jpg|thumb|The [Effra](/source/River_Effra) is one of the [subterranean rivers of London](/source/subterranean_rivers_of_London). It empties into the [Thames](/source/River_Thames) by [Vauxhall Bridge](/source/Vauxhall_Bridge), from which this photograph was taken.]] In many cities there are natural streams which have been partially or entirely built over. Such man-made examples of subterranean [urban stream](/source/urban_stream)s are too numerous to list, but notable examples include: * The [Bièvre](/source/Bi%C3%A8vre_(river)) underneath [Paris](/source/Paris), France * The [Boyanska reka](/source/Boyanska_reka) ([Boyana](/source/Boyana) river), partially underneath [Sofia](/source/Sofia), [Bulgaria](/source/Bulgaria) * [Castle Frank Brook](/source/Castle_Frank_Brook), [Garrison Creek](/source/Garrison_Creek_(Ontario)), [Russell Creek](/source/Russell_Creek_(Ontario)), and [Taddle Creek](/source/Taddle_Creek), and [other subterranean urban streams](/source/Toronto_waterway_system) in [Toronto](/source/Toronto) * The [River Farset](/source/River_Farset), which Belfast is named after, which runs in tunnels underneath the city. * The [Fleet](/source/River_Fleet) and other [subterranean rivers of London](/source/subterranean_rivers_of_London) * The [Flint River](/source/Flint_River) beneath [Hapeville, Georgia](/source/Hapeville%2C_Georgia) and [Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport](/source/Hartsfield%E2%80%93Jackson_Atlanta_International_Airport) * The [Frome](/source/River_Frome%2C_Bristol) underneath [Bristol](/source/Bristol) * The [Hobart Rivulet](/source/Hobart_Rivulet) in [Tasmania](/source/Tasmania) * [Mill Creek](/source/Mill_Creek_(Philadelphia)) in [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia) * The [Neglinnaya River](/source/Neglinnaya_River), which runs through a series of tunnels underneath the central part of [Moscow](/source/Moscow) * The [Park River](/source/Park_River_(Connecticut)) underneath [Hartford](/source/Hartford%2C_Connecticut) * The [Spirit Lake](/source/Spirit_Lake_(Washington)) Outlet Tunnel underneath Harry's Ridge in [Skamania County](/source/Skamania_County), [Washington](/source/Washington_(state)), United States * The [River Team](/source/River_Team) underneath the [Team Valley](/source/Team_Valley) Trading Estate, [Gateshead](/source/Gateshead), [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom) * The [Tank Stream](/source/Tank_Stream) underneath [Sydney](/source/Sydney), Australia * The [Zenne](/source/Zenne) underneath [Brussels](/source/Brussels), following the [covering of the Zenne](/source/covering_of_the_Zenne) between 1865 and 1871 * [Subterranean rivers in Hong Kong](/source/Subterranean_rivers_in_Hong_Kong) * The [Norwich cockeys](/source/Norwich_cockeys) ==Ecology== Some fish (popularly known as [cavefish](/source/cavefish)) and other [troglobite](/source/troglobite) organisms are adapted to life in subterranean rivers and lakes. ==Mythology and literature== {{globalize section|Europe|date=January 2024}} [[File:Gustave Doré - Dante Alighieri - Inferno - Plate 9 (Canto III - Charon).jpg|thumb|upright|right|In [Dante](/source/Dante_Alighieri)'s ''[Inferno](/source/Inferno_(Dante))'', [Charon](/source/Charon) ferries souls across the subterranean river [Acheron](/source/Acheron).]] Greek mythology included the [Styx](/source/Styx), [Phlegethon](/source/Phlegethon), [Acheron](/source/Acheron), [Cocytus](/source/Cocytus), and [Lethe](/source/Lethe) as rivers within the [Underworld](/source/Greek_underworld). [Dante Alighieri](/source/Dante_Alighieri), in his ''[Inferno](/source/Inferno_(Dante))'', included the [Acheron](/source/Acheron), [Phlegethon](/source/Phlegethon), and [Styx](/source/Styx) as rivers within his subterranean [Hell](/source/Hell). Similar references were made in [John Milton](/source/John_Milton)'s ''[Paradise Lost](/source/Paradise_Lost)''. The river Alph, running "Through caverns measureless to man / Down to a sunless sea" is central to the poem [Kubla Khan](/source/Kubla_Khan), by [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](/source/Samuel_Taylor_Coleridge). The characters in [Jules Verne](/source/Jules_Verne)'s ''[Journey to the Center of the Earth](/source/Journey_to_the_Center_of_the_Earth)'' encounter a subterranean river:
"Hans was not mistaken," he said. "What you hear is the rushing of a torrent." "A torrent?" I exclaimed. "There can be no doubt; a subterranean river is flowing around us."[Jules Verne](/source/Jules_Verne), ''[Journey to the Center of the Earth](/source/Journey_to_the_Center_of_the_Earth)'', translated by Frederick Amadeus Malleson, 1877, [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3748 at Project Gutenberg].
Several other novels also feature subterranean rivers. The [subterranean rivers of London](/source/subterranean_rivers_of_London) feature in the novel ''Drowning Man'' by [Michael Robotham](/source/Michael_Robotham) as well as in the novel ''[Thrones, Dominations](/source/Thrones%2C_Dominations)'' by [Dorothy L. Sayers](/source/Dorothy_L._Sayers) and [Jill Paton Walsh](/source/Jill_Paton_Walsh) in which a character remarks:
"You can bury them deep under, sir; you can bind them in tunnels, but in the end where a river has been, a river will always be."[Dorothy L. Sayers](/source/Dorothy_L._Sayers) and [Jill Paton Walsh](/source/Jill_Paton_Walsh), ''[Thrones, Dominations](/source/Thrones%2C_Dominations)'', Hodder and Stoughton, 1998, p. 313.
==See also== *{{annotated link|Abîme}} *{{annotated link|Black Sea undersea river}} *{{annotated link|Karst}} *{{annotated link|Losing stream}} *{{annotated link|Speleology}} *{{annotated link|Subterranean waterfall}} *{{annotated link|Underground lake}} == References == {{Commons category|Underground rivers}} {{reflist}} {{Caves}} {{Rivers, streams and springs}} {{Subterranea}} Category:Subterranean rivers Category:Dinaric karst formations Category:Hydrology and urban planning Category:Fluvial landforms * Category:Hydrology --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Subterranean river](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subterranean_river) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subterranean_river?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.