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Description of the Mackenzie River according to plan. Mackenzie (river)

Mackenzie is the most long river Canada and the entire American North (including the Finley, Peace and Slave Rivers). The Mackenzie River flows through the northwestern part of the country and thanks to a large number The tributaries are an extremely extensive river system, occupying up to 20% of Canada's territory. The Mackenzie Basin covers several Canadian provinces, including: in the southern part it is British Columbia. Alberta and Saskatchewan, in the northwestern - Yukon. River in the 18th century. Europeans became interested as a potential route to the Pacific Ocean, but Mackenzie could not lead discoverers to the Pacific coast; it is separated from it by mountains - to the south these are the ridges of the Rocky Mountains. and to the north are the Mackenzie Mountains.

Most of the way the river flows through the lands of the northwestern, subpolar region of the country, which is called the Northwest Territories. Its source is also located here - in the Great Slave Lake, although in fact the Mackenzie River begins in the Rocky Mountains from the source of the Finley River, which flows into the Peace River, and it in turn flows into Lake Athabasca, which through the Slave River connects with the Great Lake Slave Lake, thereby forming Canada's largest and second longest river system North America after Mississippi-Missouri. Great Slave Lake is the deepest (614 m) on the North American continent and is rightfully considered one of the wonders of local nature. Its name goes back to the designation of the local slave tribe - consonant with, but having nothing to do with the English word “slave” (“slave”, “slave”). The translation of the name of the lake as “Slave” is essentially erroneous. By the way, the descendants of the slaves were able to defend their right to the ancestral lands of the tribe, so a small community of Indians still lives on the shores of the lake named in their honor.
The river basin occupies the northern part of the Canadian (North American) platform. This is a Precambrian (previously 500 million years old) formation, the antiquity of which determined the presence of a number of minerals: rugelez, copper, nickel, uranium, gold, zinc, lead and other metals that lie in the foundation of the platform exposed in the north of the continent, and later The sedimentary cover of the platform contains deposits of oil, gas, coal, potassium and other salts. Thanks to their development, these inhospitable places became more habitable: for example, the discovery in the 1930s. gold in the Slave Lake area led to the birth of the city of Yellowknife, which later became the administrative capital of the Northwest Territories province and a gold mining center. Silver and uranium are also mined here, and since 1991, diamonds.
Flowing through the North-West Territory, the Mackenzie, not far from its mouth, crosses the border of the Arctic Circle and, through the bay of the same name, flows into the North Beaufort Sea Arctic Ocean. When it merges with the sea, it forms a vast delta, the soil of which, to a depth of 100 m, is bound by permafrost. The waters of the Mackenzie supply about 11% of the total river flow of the Arctic Ocean and play important role in creating a microclimate in the delta region.
The river flows through a vast area of forests and tundra, with some heavily swampy areas. For most of its route, the Mackenzie has a fairly wide channel (from 2 to 5 km), along which the water flows slowly and calmly (the height difference from source to mouth is only 156 m). A delta up to 80 km wide is formed at the mouth. The banks are rocky and rugged in places, but swamps make up no more than 18% of the river basin area. Most of the basin is covered with forest-tundra and forests, of which 93% are uninhabited, untouched by man open spaces. Food comes from rain and snow, and when snow and ice melt, serious floods occur. From September to May the river is hidden under ice.
The cold waters of the Mackenzie are home to 53 species of fish, some of which are endemic. Interestingly, many species of fish are genetically related to species found in the Mississippi: scientists suggest that these rivers may have previously been connected through a system of lakes and tributaries.
Exploring the Surrounding Pool northern river threatened to become a deep disappointment not only for Alexander Mackenzie, but also for other geographers and travelers who were primarily concerned with finding a river route to the Pacific Ocean. Over time, the river was appreciated and it immortalized the name of the discoverer.

The beginning of the formation of lakes and rivers in this region dates back to the end of the last ice age- approximately 11,000 years ago. They began to study Mackenzie not so long ago. The first European who managed to reach the coast of the Arctic Ocean, making his way to it along the mainland, is considered to be the English trader and traveler Samuel Herne (1745-1792). And the first description of this river dates back to 1789 and belongs to the Scottish merchant and traveler Alexander Mackenzie (1764-1820). However, according to the testimony of Mackenzie himself, around 1780, in the lower reaches of the river, the Indians were already exchanging some white skins for iron. It could have been Russian sailors. As an employee of the North-West Fur Company, Mackenzie achieved the organization of the expedition. Initially, she had to find a waterway to the Pacific Ocean, which the Indians talked about. It was precisely because the expedition found access not to the Pacific, but to the Arctic Ocean, that the river was first called “Disappointment,” which translated from English means “Disappointment.” The campaign began with the founding of Fort Chipewayan on the Athabasca River. The river expedition itself started on June 3, 1789. Information has been preserved about the guide - an Indian nicknamed “English leader”, who participated in the campaign to the Arctic Ocean S. Hern. Six days later, birch bark canoes approached Slave Lake, but only on June 29 Mackenzie found the river flowing towards the Pacific
(as he thought) an ocean river without a name. The Indians they met talked about the endless length of the river and the difficulties with food. The most unpleasant surprise was that the river turned due north, and on July 10 A. Mackenzie wrote: “It is absolutely clear that this river flows into the Great North Sea,” and on July 13 he saw the sea itself. The expedition did not explore its shores, but the night tides and whales frolicking in the bay made it clear that this was an ocean. Later, the English explorer of the Arctic John Franklin (1786-1847), having carried out in 1825-1826. expedition to this river, gave it, the mountains, and the bay, first explored by Mackenzie, the name of the “disappointed” Scot.
Mackenzie is navigable - the length of its shipping routes is 2200 km. The level of seasonal fluctuations in water is used to generate hydropower. In 1968, the Bennett Dam, one of the largest in the world, was built in the upper Mackenzie River on the Peace River, and it is not the only one here: dams have appeared in many places, both for hydropower and for flood control. In the south it became possible to conduct Agriculture. In addition, there is an ambitious project to move Arctic fresh meltwater inland and beyond using the Mackenzie reservoir, irrigation and transport system.
It is not only people who use the river for their own purposes: the Mackenzie Delta, located at the junction of four major migratory routes of North American birds (in the fall, their number reaches a million), is an important transit point for them.
The construction of the dam caused significant damage to the river’s ecosystem and, in particular, its delta, which resulted in a significant reduction in migratory bird populations. According to the US Geological Survey, published in Forbes magazine in 2004, about a quarter of the world's oil and natural gas reserves are located in the Arctic. In particular, “the Mackenzie River Delta and adjacent offshore areas are extremely rich in natural gas, which will continue to be produced over the next decade.” Due to large-scale transformation of the area around the pipeline, many species may soon become extinct. Elsewhere in the river basin, oil, uranium, tungsten, gold and diamonds are mined, and timber is produced in the upper reaches of the river. In addition, the Mackenzie is the main transport artery: entire “trains” of barges move along its surface (in winter they travel along it on dog sleds and snowmobiles).
No matter how significant human activity has been on the river, only 1% of Canadians now live in its basin. The population of the basin is about 397,000 people (according to 2001 statistics), that is, the average population density is approximately 0.2 people per square kilometer, but in last years Tourism is beginning to play an increasingly important role in the economy of the region; the city of Inuvik is the most visited settlement in the Arctic, the center of Inuit culture and the launching pad for many ecotourism routes. Great importance also have Scientific research- hydrographic and geological.

Climate and weather

In the south of the basin it is temperate, in the north it is subarctic to arctic.

Average annual water temperature: +3°С
Average January temperature: from -16°C in the south to -28°C in the north
Average July temperature: from +16°C in the south to +8°C in the north

Average annual precipitation: in the north less than 100 mm, in the south more than 300 mm, in the mountains up to 1000 mm.
Freeze-up: September-May/June (in the lower reaches).

Economy

Minerals: natural gas, oil, uranium, tungsten, gold and diamonds
Industry: hydropower, logging.
Agriculture: greenhouse vegetable growing (in the south).
Services sector: transport (shipping); tourism (hiking and water recreational or sports tourism, also excursions to gold rush sites, the city of Dawson).

Attractions of the Mackenzie River

Natural. National parks Little Slave Lake and Hilliard Bay, Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary with a protected herd of 2,000 (north of Yellowknife), the youngest national park Arctic - Tuktut Nogate, Nahanni National Park (South Nahanni River Valley, south of the Mackenzie Mountains, established 1976) - object World Heritage UNESCO (since 1978), Cameron Falls, pingo hydrolaccoliths (cone-shaped hills up to 40 m in height and up to 300 m in width, which appeared on the surface under the pressure of ice lying in the lower layers).
Cultural and historical. Bennett Dam (1968) on the Peace River (tributary) with a tour center.
Inuvik City. Catholic Church Holy Virgin Mary the Victorious (1958-1960), built in the form of an igloo.
City of Yellowknife. Old city, including houseboat settlement, Prince of Wales History Center (Inuit and Dene Ethnographic Museum), Legislative Assembly (1993)
Fort Providence. Dene Crafts Centre.
Hay River Settlement. The main port of the Northwest Territories, home to the Dene people for more than 1,000 years.

Information

Length: 1738 km
Pool: 1,805,200 km²
Water consumption: 10,700 m³/s
Source: Great Slave Lake
A country: Canada
Region: Northwest Territories

Characteristic
Mackenzie
Mackenzie River Delta
Length
Pool	1,805,200 km²
Water consumption

Source
- Coordinates
Estuary
- Coordinates

A country	Canada Canada
Region

K:Rivers in alphabetical order K:Water bodies in alphabetical order K:Rivers up to 5000 km in length Mackenzie (river) Mackenzie (river) K:River card: correct: Mouth/Basin

Is a navigable river, the length of the navigable routes is the entire river system Mackenzie 2200 km - from Waterways on the Athabasca River to the port of Taktoyaktuk on the coast of the Arctic Ocean. The largest settlements are Aklavik, Inuvik, Fort Norman, Fort Providence and the oilfield center of Norman Wells.

Story

It was discovered and first passed by A. Mackenzie from June 29 to July 14, 1789. Originally called a river Disappointment(English) Disappointment, "Disappointment" or "Dissatisfaction" ).

Tributaries

R. Karkaju
R. Ruth
R. Mountain
R. Hare Indian

Hydrography

The river valley is formed by strata of alluvial and fluvio-glacial sediments, is heavily swamped, and covered spruce forest.

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Notes

Excerpt characterizing the Mackenzie (river)

Bolkhovitinov first reported in detail everything that was ordered to him.
“Speak, speak quickly, don’t torment your soul,” Kutuzov interrupted him.
Bolkhovitinov told everything and fell silent, awaiting orders. Tol began to say something, but Kutuzov interrupted him. He wanted to say something, but suddenly his face squinted and wrinkled; He waved his hand at Tolya and turned in the opposite direction, towards the red corner of the hut, blackened by images.
- Lord, my creator! You heeded our prayer...” he said in a trembling voice, folding his hands. - Russia is saved. Thank you, Lord! - And he cried.

From the time of this news until the end of the campaign, all of Kutuzov’s activities consisted only in using power, cunning, and requests to keep his troops from useless offensives, maneuvers and clashes with the dying enemy. Dokhturov goes to Maloyaroslavets, but Kutuzov hesitates with the entire army and gives orders to cleanse Kaluga, retreat beyond which seems very possible to him.
Kutuzov retreats everywhere, but the enemy, without waiting for his retreat, runs back in the opposite direction.
Historians of Napoleon describe to us his skillful maneuver at Tarutino and Maloyaroslavets and make assumptions about what would have happened if Napoleon had managed to penetrate the rich midday provinces.
But without saying that nothing prevented Napoleon from going to these midday provinces (since the Russian army gave him the way), historians forget that Napoleon’s army could not be saved by anything, because it already carried in itself the inevitable conditions death. Why is this army, which found abundant food in Moscow and could not hold it, but trampled it underfoot, this army, which, having come to Smolensk, did not sort out the food, but plundered it, why could this army recover in the Kaluga province, inhabited by those the same Russians as in Moscow, and with the same property of fire to burn what they light?
The army could not recover anywhere. From the Battle of Borodino and the sack of Moscow, she already carried within herself, as it were, chemical conditions decomposition.
The people of this former army fled with their leaders without knowing where, wanting (Napoleon and each soldier) only one thing: to personally extricate themselves as soon as possible from that hopeless situation, which, although unclear, they were all aware of.
Only for this reason, at the council in Maloyaroslavets, when, pretending that they, the generals, were conferring, submitting different opinions, the last opinion of the simple-minded soldier Mouton, who said what everyone thought, that it was only necessary to leave as soon as possible, closed all mouths, and no one, not even Napoleon, could say anything against this universally recognized truth.
But although everyone knew that they had to leave, there was still the shame of knowing that they had to run. And an external push was needed that would overcome this shame. And this impulse came to right time. This was what the French called le Hourra de l'Empereur [imperial cheer].
The next day after the council, Napoleon, early in the morning, pretending that he wanted to inspect the troops and the field of the past and future battle, with a retinue of marshals and a convoy, rode along the middle of the line of troops. The Cossacks, snooping around the prey, came across the emperor himself and almost caught him. If the Cossacks did not catch Napoleon this time, then what saved him was the same thing that was destroying the French: the prey that the Cossacks rushed to, both in Tarutino and here, abandoning people. They, not paying attention to Napoleon, rushed to the prey, and Napoleon managed to escape.

The Mackenzie River is the largest in Canada. Her length is 4241 km. As a matter of fact, water flow, which is called "Mackenzie", begins its journey from Great Slave Lake. It is considered the deepest in North America. Maximum depth The reservoir reaches 614 meters, and the area is 28.4 thousand square meters. km. In spring, autumn and summer, the lake is covered with an ice crust. It is freed from it only in the summer months.

From the lake the water flows to the northwest and ends its path in Beaufort Sea. Its length is 1738 km. The river's water system itself begins River Finlay in central British Columbia. The source is in a small lake Tutade. These are the Omineca Mountains. The river flows south along the Rocky Mountains and empties into Williston Reservoir. The total length of Finlay is 420 km.

Mackenzie River on the map

The Peace River flows from the reservoir. This is a large water stream, the length of which is 1521 km. It flows into the Slave River, which flows out of Lake Athabasca. It is the latter that flows into Great Slave Lake. And the Mackenzie River already flows out of it and carries its waters to the Arctic Ocean. This gives us the figure of 4241 km.

Why is this strange name- "Slave"? The thing is that a tribe of Slavey Indians lived along the banks of the river and lake. So the lake with the river was called “Slave”. This is where the confusion came from, because English word"slave" means "slave". We wanted the best, but what happened was the Great Slave Lake and the Slave River. There is nothing you can do now, this is how things have historically developed.

The mighty northern river was discovered by Scottish explorer Alexander Mackenzie (1764-1820). In 1789 he moved along waterway from Lake Athabasca towards the Arctic Ocean. In total, the traveler swam and walked 4.5 thousand km. People paid tribute to the courage of this man and immortalized his name in the name of the river.

It feeds from tributaries, lakes, rain and snow. The river floodplain is very swampy. All around are forests of black spruce, aspen and poplar. To the north comes the kingdom of dwarf birches, willows and numerous peat bogs. And, of course, permafrost. In the delta area its depth reaches 100 meters.

The largest lake, connected to the river through a channel, is called Big Bear. It is located in the Arctic Circle. The maximum depth is 413 meters. The area of the reservoir is 31.15 thousand square meters. km, which exceeds the area of Great Slave Lake. The channel, or more correctly, the river, is called the Big Bear and reaches a length of 113 km. Its depth is 6 meters and its width reaches 300 meters.

Mackenzie River in autumn

Mackenzie herself is broad and slow river. The height of the fall from source to mouth is 156 meters. The river has many shallows and side channels. The width ranges from 2 to 5 km. The depth is 8-9 meters. In some places, mountainous terrain causes the stream to narrow, and its width reaches 0.5 km. Accordingly, the flow speed increases.

This water river system covers 20% of the country's territory. In terms of length, it ranks 13th in the world among all great water systems and gives the Arctic Ocean 11% of the total drainage. The Mackenzie River begins to ice up in September. Ice drift begins in May, and in the lower reaches this period occurs in June.

The river basin is home to 397 thousand people, which is 1% of Canada's population. The bulk of the population is concentrated in the province of Alberta. But the Yukon and Northwest Territories are inhabited mainly by indigenous peoples. But there is a lot here useful resources: oil, gas, uranium, gold, tungsten, timber - it is rich in all this in abundance northern land. The river has well-developed navigation. It covers 2200 km in summer period. And in winter, ice roads, dog sleds and snowmobiles are practiced.

In a word, this is a real harsh north, in no way inferior to Taimyr or Chukotka. Although life in these places is not vibrant, it is reliably settled in rare settlements. You can call the village Fort Providence. It is inhabited mainly by the indigenous population of the northern lands. There are almost 800 residents.

But in Inuvik, which is the administrative center of the Northwest Territories, about 4 thousand people live. This is a stronghold oil companies. It is from here that geological exploration of nearby lands is managed. You can also mention the village of Aklavik, Fort Norman, Norman Wells.

The Mackenzie River is a navigable river in summer

Concerning deltas great northern river, then in winter period, and this is a whole 6 months, it is practically indistinguishable. Everything around comes to life after the ice drift begins. The ice disappears within a few days, and countless channels appear, separated by islands. The length of the delta is 160 km, and the width from edge to edge is 80 km.

There are many in the water pingo. These are earthen hills with a core of ice. This phenomenon is usually in areas permafrost. Ice turns into water in the summer, but cannot escape to the surface. It then freezes, expands, and pushes soil up. There are more than 1,500 pingos in the delta region. This is the largest concentration of them in the world.

The mighty Nord Stream is rightfully considered the pride of Canada. It carries its waters into the Beaufort Sea slowly and solidly. But you can feel hidden strength and power in them. And this always arouses respect and interest in the greatest creations of nature, one of which is the Mackenzie River.

Stanislav Lopatin

Mackenzie is largest river North America, particularly Canada. Its length is more than 4000 km. From this article you can learn a lot of interesting things about this body of water.

origin of name

The longest river in Canada is named after the explorer and discoverer, the Scot Alexander Mackenzie. It was he who made the first voyage through its waters in 1789. This river interested Europeans as a potential route that would lead to the Pacific Ocean. But the Mackenzie is a river that couldn't bring them to the coast Pacific Ocean, since it is fenced off from it on the western side by the Rocky Mountains.

The first name of the river translated from English meant “disappointment” or “dissatisfaction”. It is likely that she did not make a very pleasant impression on the first researcher.

Geographical location of the Mackenzie River

The Mackenzie River flows in the northwest of the country. Thanks to its numerous tributaries, it is a branched river system. It occupies about 20% of Canada. The river basin lies in several Canadian provinces. It also includes a number of Canadian lakes. The main route of the river passes through the lands of the circumpolar region of the country, which are called the Northwest Territories.

The Mackenzie originates from Great Slave Lake. This is the deepest body of water on the North American continent. Its depth is 614 meters. This lake is rightfully considered one of the wonders of local nature. The Mackenzie flows into the Gulf of the Arctic Ocean. 11% of the total flow is its water.

When it flows into the bay, a swampy delta of the Mackenzie River is formed; it occupies a vast territory - about 12,000 square meters. km. Here the soil is frozen by permafrost.

North-west - this is the direction in which the Mackenzie flows its waters. The river formed a valley from a layer of alluvial and fluvio-glacial sediments. It is covered mainly by spruce forest and swampy.

Description of the river

The Mackenzie is not only the longest river in North America, but also quite deep. Therefore it is suitable for shipping. In summer, river boats sail along it for 2000 km. But even in winter it is used for economic purposes, albeit very unusual ones. The ice road for cars is the Mackenzie in winter. The river forms very thick and durable ice. Its thickness can reach up to 2 meters, so vehicle movement is absolutely safe.

Since the reservoir belongs to the Arctic water sources, it is fed mainly by snow and rain precipitation. Serious flooding often occurs when snow and ice melt. quite harsh. In view of this, the Mackenzie River in central and northern regions The country is covered with ice for more than half the year: from mid-October to early May. Sometimes freeze-up can last until the beginning of June; this mainly occurs in the lower reaches of the reservoir.

Where and how does the river flow?

The Canada River flows through a vast area of the country. This area consists mainly of forests and forest-tundra. As a rule, these are deserted, untouched spaces. The shores of the Mackenzie, covered with forests, are very picturesque. Many species of wild animals live here, including well-known ones. Many areas are heavily swamped - about 18% of the entire area of the river basin. Throughout its entire length, the Mackenzie River, photos of which are presented in this article, has a fairly wide channel; it can reach 5 km. The water flows calmly and leisurely. The elevation difference from the source of the Mackenzie to its mouth is very small and amounts to just over 150 meters.

Not far from Canada's northernmost settlement of Tuktoyaktuk, where the mouth of the Mackenzie River is located, are hydrolaccoliths, or pingos. These are cone-shaped hills. They consist of gravel and other soil elements that are literally squeezed from the depths of the earth to the surface under the influence of ice lying below. The hills can be up to 40 meters high and about 300 meters in diameter.

The waters of the Mackenzie are home to about 53 species of fish. An interesting fact is that many representatives of the fauna are genetically related to those that live in. Scientists have a version that in the past they could have been connected by systems of lakes and channels.

River today

The Mackenzie is the main transport artery. It transports goods both in winter and summer. The level of seasonal fluctuations in the water in the river is used to produce hydroelectric power. Several dams have been built on it. They not only generate the energy necessary for humans, but also fight floods during floods. In the south it became possible development Agriculture.

The Mackenzie Basin is rich in mineral resources:

Oil.
Gas.
Coal.
Gold.
Tungsten.
Potassium salt.
Silver.
Uranium.
Diamonds, etc.

Mining developments have transformed many inhospitable areas of the Mackenzie Basin into habitable areas. The Mackenzie is a river whose banks are almost entirely covered with forests. Therefore, the extraction of raw materials and workpieces is in full swing here. Only 1% live in the basin - only about 400,000 people. This is approximately 0.2 people per 1 sq. km. But in Lately Ecotourism is becoming increasingly important to the regional economy.

The Mackenzie River is a very attractive destination for adventure tourists who can travel by canoe or boat. It’s not for nothing that thousands of travelers from all over the world come here every year.

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Mackenzie Danube River, Mackenzie Volga River
1738 km

Mackenzie(English and French Mackenzie, slave Deh Cho - “ big river") is the largest river in Canada and the entire American north with a length of 1738 km. Named after Alexander Mackenzie, who discovered it.

Mackenzie in winter

It is a navigable river; the length of the navigable routes of the entire Mackenzie river system is 2200 km - from Waterways on the Athabasca River to the port of Taktoyaktuk on the coast of the Arctic Ocean. The largest settlements are Aklavik, Inuvik, Fort Norman, Fort Providence and the oilfield center of Norman Wells.

1. History
2 Tributaries
3 Hydrography
4 Notes

Story

It was discovered and first climbed by A. Mackenzie from June 29 to July 14, 1789. It was originally called the Disappointment River.

Tributaries

R. Drank
R. Liard
R. Big Bear
R. Arctic Red River
R. Karkaju
R. Ruth
R. Mountain
R. Hare Indian

Hydrography

Mackenzie River Basin

The source of the Mackenzie River is considered to be the Great Slave Lake; the river basin also includes the large Canadian lakes Woollaston, Clare, Athabasca and Great Bear. The last lake is connected to the river through the Bolshaya Medvezhya tributary. The average water flow at the mouth of the river is ≈10,700 m³/s, which puts the river in second place among the rivers of North America after the Mississippi. The relatively small flow of the Mackenzie is due to the blocking effect of the Rocky Mountains to the west, which reduce the influence of the Pacific Ocean in the lower part of its catchment.

The Mackenzie, like more than half of Canada's rivers, belongs to the Arctic Ocean basin. Arctic rivers are fed mainly by snow and rain. In the central and northern regions of the country, rivers and lakes are covered with ice for 5 to 9 months. The Mackenzie freezes in September - October, opens in May, and in the lower reaches - in early June; snow and rain food; spring-summer flood.

The river valley is formed by strata of alluvial and fluvio-glacial sediments, is heavily swamped, and covered with spruce forest.