The Diamante River is a river in the
Argentine province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Mendoza. It is born from
glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...
s on the
Maipo, a volcano in the
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
range in the Argentine–
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
an border, and flows east until emptying in the
Desaguadero River. Its
drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
covers an area of in the central region of Mendoza.
Course
The Diamante is fed by ice-thaw-fed streams that flow into its source, the Diamante Lake. It has an average flow of , with its maximum during the spring and summer; the October–March period accounts for 70 percent of the annual water volume.
The upper course of the river turns south and then back north, and becomes
entrenched within the deep, narrow Agua del Toro Canyon, where it is
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...
med to produce
hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...
by the
Agua del Toro Dam, at about 69° W, and a few kilometres later by the
Los Reyunos Dam. Together these two
power station
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid.
Many ...
s generate 500
MW.
Upon reaching the plain, the Diamante loses part of its volume through infiltration and evaporation. It turns in a gentle arc, passing south of the city of
San Rafael, in the geographical center of Mendoza, where it is used for
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...
(together with the
Atuel River
The Atuel River is a river located mainly in the south of the Argentine province of Mendoza, with its last part in La Pampa. It is a tributary of the Desaguadero River.
The Atuel is the longest river in Mendoza. It is born in the Andes range, a ...
).
The river splits in multiple branches shortly before reaching the Desaguadero (here called Salado), on the border with the province of
San Luis.
References
* Mendoza Informa
Río Diamante
* A la Niña Summit
{{coord, 34, 28, S, 64, 45, W, region:AR_source:kolossus-eswiki, display=title
Rivers of Argentina
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