A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea.
The Continental Divide of the Americas (also known as the Continental Gulf of Division, the Great Divide, or merely the Continental Divide) is the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas. It extends from the Bering Strait to the Strait of Magellan.
It separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from (1) those river systems that drain into the Atlantic Ocean (including those that drain into the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea), and (2) along the northernmost reaches of the Divide, those river systems that drain into the Arctic Ocean.
Though there are many other hydrological divides in the Americas, the Great Divide is by far the most prominent of these because it tends to follow a line of high peaks along the main ranges of the Rocky Mountains and Andes, at a generally much higher elevation than the other hydrological divisions. The Continental Divide of the Americas begins at Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, the westernmost point on the mainland of the Americas. The Divide crosses northern Alaska into the Yukon, then zig-zags south into British Columbia via the Cassiar Mountains and Omineca Mountains and northern Nechako Plateau to Summit Lake, north of the city of Prince George and just south of the community of McLeod Lake. From there the Divide traverses the McGregor Plateau to the spine of the Rockies, following the crest of the Canadian Rockies southeast to the 120th meridian west, from there forming the boundary between southern British Columbia and southern Alberta. The Divide crosses into the United States in northwestern Montana, at the boundary between Waterton Lakes National Park and Glacier National Park. In Canada, it forms the western boundary of Waterton Lakes National Park, and in the US bisects Glacier National Park. Further south, the Divide forms the backbone of the Rocky Mountain Front (Front Range) in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, heads south towards Helena and Butte, then west past the namesake community of Divide, Montana through the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness to the Bitterroot Range, where it forms the eastern third of the state boundary between Idaho and Montana.
The Divide crosses into Wyoming within Yellowstone National Park and continues southeast into Colorado where it reaches its highest point in North America at the summit of Grays Peak at 4,352 m (14,278 feet) . It crosses US Hwy 160 in southern Colorado at Wolf Creek Pass, where a line symbolizes the division. The Divide then proceeds south into western New Mexico, passing along the western boundary of the endorheic Plains of San Agustin. Although the Divide represents the height of land between watersheds, it does not always follow the highest ranges/peaks within each state or province. In Mexico, it passes through Chihuahua, Durango, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Querétaro, México, the Federal District, Morelos, Puebla, Oaxaca, and Chiapas.
In Central America, it continues through southern Guatemala, southwestern Honduras, western Nicaragua, western/southwestern Costa Rica, and southern Panama. The divide reaches its lowest point in Central America at the Isthmus of Rivas at 47 m (154 feet) in Nicaragua.
The Divide continues into South America, where it follows the peaks of the Andes Mountains, traversing western Colombia, central Ecuador, western and southwestern Peru, and eastern Chile (essentially conforming to the Chile-Bolivia and Chile-Argentina boundaries), southward to the southern end of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.
In most cases a water divide is a topographical ridge where the divide of the drainage area primarily lies on a crest line. This crest line marks a surface water divide. Here the rainfall area is the same as the drainage area. Valley water divides are as well surface water divides, however here the divide lies on the bottom of a valley.
However there are also water divides that are not recognizable in the country side, because they are below surface and depend on the geological composition of the ground. In this case it is called a ground water divide. Here the actual drainage area can be larger than the rainfall area. This is the case when the ground water divide channels from a neighboring drainage area. Especially in sedimentary rock this can happen when the different layers of which the ground is composed that the drainage happens against the fall line of the slope. In geological homogeny underground (e.g. magmatic rock) the surface and ground divides are identical.
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www.wikipedia.org
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This Earth Cache is located right next to the road at the Papallacta Pass. This spot is a common tour group photo stop on the way to Papallacta.
Send your answers to the questions to me via the contact sheet or message center. You can log right away, I will contact you if something is wrong. However, answers must be send within a day of logging. Each one of you should send their own answers! Logs without answers will be deleted.
1. Near the coordinates there is a small sign by the Ministerio del Ambiente which states the Longitud and Latitude as well as the number of this point and the altitude. What is the number of the point? What is the stated altitude and does it correspondent with your own GPS device?
2. This pass is a water divide - describe if it is a surface divide or ground divide and what brings you to this opinion?
3. To the South lies a volcano - which you are hopefully lucky enough to see - on which side of the water divide do you think this volcano lies?
4. A photo of you or your GPS at this point next to the small building would be very much appreciated, but it is optional.
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Divisoria de aguas
La línea divisoria de las aguas, divisoria de drenaje o simplemente divisoria es el límite entre dos cuencas hidrográficas contiguas (dos vertientes hidrográficas contiguas). Las aguas de lluvia caídas a cada lado de la divisoria acaban siendo recogidas por los ríos principales de las cuencas o vertientes respectivas, pudiendo acabar en destinos muy distantes. Por ejemplo, la divisoria continental de América es la línea imaginaria que separa las aguas que acaban drenando el océano Pacífico de las que drenan al Atlántico. Las divisorias han sido usadas históricamente como criterio para marcar fronteras territoriales.
La divisoria continental de América (Continental Divide of the Americas), o simplemente la divisoria Continental o Gran Divisoria (Great Divide), es el nombre dado a la principal, y en gran parte montañosa, divisoria hidrológica de América, que separa, a un lado, las cuencas que desaguan en el océano Pacífico, y del otro, primero los sistemas fluviales que desaguan en el océano Atlántico (incluidos los que drenan a través del golfo de México o el mar Caribe), y, después (en la parte norte de la divisoria), los sistemas fluviales que desaguan en el océano Ártico (incluyendo los que desaguan tanto en el Atlántico como en el Ártico, vía bahía de Hudson).
Aunque existen otras divisorias continentales en Norteamérica, la Gran Divisoria es, con mucho, la más destacada, ya que tiende a seguir una línea de altas cumbres a lo largo de las principales cordilleras de las Montañas Rocosas, en Estados Unidos y Canadá, y continúa hacia el sur, llegando a Sudamérica a través de la cordillera de los Andes, y concluyendo finalmente al sur de Tierra del Fuego.
La divisoria física continua en América del Sur, donde sigue las cumbres de la cordillera de los Andes que atraviesan el oeste de Colombia, Ecuador Central, el oeste y el suroeste de Perú, y el Chile oriental (parcialmente formando las fronteras Chile-Bolivia y Chile-Argentina), hacia el Sur, hasta el extremo sur de la Patagonia y la Tierra del Fuego.
Este Earth Cache se encuentra justo al lado de la carretera en el paso de Papallacta. Este lugar es una común parada de fotos de excursión en grupo en el camino a Papallacta.
Envíe sus respuestas a las preguntas a través de la hoja de contacto o del centro de mensajes. Puede iniciar sesión de inmediato, me pondré en contacto con usted si algo está mal. Sin embargo, las respuestas deben enviarse dentro de un día de registro. Los registros sin respuestas se eliminarán.
Para registrar ese earthcache los requisitos son:
1. Cerca de las coordenadas hay un pequeño letrero del Ministerio del Ambiente que indica Longitud y Latitud, así como el número de este punto y la altitud. ¿Cuál es el número del punto? ¿Cuál es la altitud declarada y corresponde con su propio dispositivo GPS?
2. Este paso es una división de agua - describa si se trata de una división de superficie o división de tierra y lo que le lleva a esta opinión?
3. Al sur se encuentra un volcán - que se espera tener la suerte de ver - en qué lado de la divisoria de agua cree que este volcán se encuentra?
4. Una foto de usted o su GPS en este punto al lado del pequeño edificio sería muy apreciado, pero es opcional.
