Book 19, Question 17
How Old Are Rivers?
Rivers can be very old, or surprisingly young! Some have flowed in about the same place for millions of years. Others were shaped much more recently.
More fun facts
- Some rivers are very old.
- The Mississippi River's history goes back about 70 million years.
- Scientists dated it using tiny zircon crystals found in sandstone in Illinois.
- Ancient rivers on Mars are about 3.7 billion years old.
- Those Martian rivers flowed for around 100,000 years.
Sources: Smithsonian Magazine, BBC
Questions kids ask
How did scientists learn the Mississippi's age?
They dated tiny zircon crystals found in sandstone in Illinois.