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The Geochemistry of the Paranamp;#x00E1; River: An Overview

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The Middle Paraná River

Abstract

River basins are not inert continental features. Moreover, it can be said that rivers have a life, and their evolution is usually predictable. In biological terms, for example, rivers are processors of materials as the biota they contain take up, convert, use, and release resources that come to them. In other words, rivers are active biological systems that metabolize the organic matter they transport. From a geological point of view, rivers transport sediments and solutes whose dynamics is also determined by a set of complex interacting variables, such as lithology, climate, and relief. Consequently, the water that reaches a river's mouth is far different, both qualitatively and quantitatively, from the water that entered the system as rain or snowfall. Summarizing, the chemical signatures of rivers are reflections of complex natural and interdependent relationships involving the chemistry of precipitation, the weathering of minerals, the cycling of vegetation, and the evolution or history of its water. The recently published geochemical treatise (Drever 2005) is a major step towards the elucidation of such complexities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigaciones Geoquímicas y de Procesos de la Superficie, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Avenida Vélez Sarsfield 1611, X5016DGA, Cordoba, Argentina

    Pedro J. Depetris

  2. Centro de Investigaciones Geoquímicas y de Procesos de la Superficie, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Avenida Vélez Sarsfield 1611, X5016DGA, Cordoba, Argentina

    Andrea I. Pasquini

Authors
  1. Pedro J. Depetris
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  2. Andrea I. Pasquini
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. CONICET-UNL, C.C 487, 3100, Paraná, EntreRíos, Argentina

    Martín H. Iriondo

  2. CONICET-UNL, José Maciá 1933, 3016, Santo Tomé, Santa Fe, Argentina

    Juan César Paggi

  3. CONICET-UNL, José Maciá 1933, 3016, Santo Tomé, Santa Fe, Argentina

    María Julieta Parma

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Depetris, P.J., Pasquini, A.I. (2007). The Geochemistry of the Paranamp;#x00E1; River: An Overview. In: Iriondo, M.H., Paggi, J.C., Parma, M.J. (eds) The Middle Paraná River. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-70624-3_6

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