page_title: River source
section_title: Characteristics of sources
hierarchical_section_title: River source / Characteristics of sources
caption_attribution_description: English: karst spring of river Rhume in Lower Saxony, Germany Deutsch: Karstquelle des Flusses Rhume in Niedersachsen, Deutschland
context_page_description: The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source.
context_section_description: Sometimes the source of the most remote tributary may be in an area that is more marsh-like, in which the "uppermost" or most remote section of the marsh would be the true source.  For example, the source of the River Tees is marshland.
  The furthest stream is also often called the head stream. Headwaters are often small streams with cool waters because of shade and recently melted ice or snow.  They may also be glacial headwaters, waters formed by the melting of glacial ice.
  Headwater areas are the upstream areas of a watershed, as opposed to the outflow or discharge of a watershed.   The river source is often but not always on or quite near the edge of the watershed, or watershed divide. For example, the source of the Colorado River is at the Continental Divide separating the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean watersheds of North America.
caption: Rhume Spring, source of the Rhume river
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