The Melado is a river of
Linares province,
Maule Region
The Maule Region ( es, Región del Maule, ) is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. Its capital is Talca. The region derives its name from the Maule River which, running westward from the Andes, bisects the region and spans a ...
, of
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 eas ...
. It rises in the "Cordillera de los
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 ...
" with the name of river Guaiquivilo where it is formed by two tributaries, the river Cajón Troncoso, born near the
Argentine
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...
border and the river Palaleo, from the outflow of Dial lake, located some 70 km upstream from the joining of the two rivers. The Guaiquivilo flows northwardly along a typical interandean
longitudinal valley
A longitudinal valley is an elongated valley found between two almost-parallel mountain chains in geologically young fold mountains, such as the Alps, Carpathians, Andes, or the highlands of Central Asia. They are often occupied and shaped by a ...
.
On its left bank the Guaiquivilo is flanked by the Melado sierra, which has peaks that often surpass 2.500 mt and which constitute a natural barrier between the Guaiquivilo basin and those of the rivers
Longaví
Longaví (in Mapudungun: ''snake's head'') is a Chilean city and commune located in Linares Province, one of the four provinces that make up the Maule Region, in the geographical center of Chile.
Geography
The commune has a surface of and is bo ...
,
Achibueno
Achibueno is a river, tributary of the Loncomilla, in Linares Province, Maule Region of Chile, where it forms the border between the municipalities of Linares and Longaví.
It is born from the homonym glacial lake, situated to the east of the N ...
and
Ancoa
Ancoa is a river, tributary of the Achibueno, in Linares Province, Maule Region of 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 clos ...
, all tributary of the river
Loncomilla
Loncomilla River ( Mapudungun for "Gold of the Chief") is a tributary to the Maule river in Linares Province, Maule Region, Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the sout ...
, which, in its turn, is the main tributary of
river Maule.
On its right bank, the Guaiquivilo is joined by the river San Pedro or La Puente which is born from a glacier related to the San Pedro (or Las Yeguas)
volcano
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates ...
. From this point onwards, the river takes the name of Melado.
The river Melado is
dammed to generate
hydroelectric
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 ...
power in the
Pehuenche Hydroelectric Plant.
The Melado joins the river
Maule when the latter has already flowed for 75 km.
The Canal Melado transports water from the Melado river through the Guaiquivilo basin and a tunnel of 4,2 km to the
Ancoa River.
External links
River Melado, in the Cordillera de los Andes, Linares Province, Chile* Rivers of Chile websit
Melado River
Rivers of Maule Region
Melado
{{Chile-river-stub