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Topics: Environment, Nature, Science, Travel
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: Environment, Nature, Science, Travel
A river in Peru reportedly gets so hot that it could boil someone alive.
Located in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest (which spreads across Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, French Guiana, and Brazil), the Shanay-timpishka river is also known as the 'Boiling River'.
It's believed to be the only thermal river in the world, with the entire system spanning around 9km.
Geoscientist Andrés Ruzo from the Southern Methodist University in Dallas has studied the waters, and says he's recorded its temperature hitting highs of 210°F (100°C).
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"To put that into everyday terms, the average coffee is roughly 130°F (55°C)," Ruzo said, as per Mail Online.
"It's hard to physically imagine that much hot water.
"You stick your hand in, and you will see second or third degree burns in a matter of seconds."
Ruzo actually gave a TED talk on the infamous river in 2016, and shared how he came to find it.
He recalled a story his grandfather told him about Spanish soldiers being told about a city that was supposedly made entirely of gold in the Amazon.
Those who were lucky enough to return from the gruelling expedition 'came back with stories of powerful shamans, of warriors with poisoned arrows, of tree so tall they blotted out the sun, [...] and a river that boiled'.
Ruzo took his grandfather's story with a pinch of salt, but when he chatted to his aunt about the notorious 'Boiling River', she told him that it was true and that she'd swam in it herself.
As to how she did this and lived to tell the tale, apparently, you can only swim in the 'Boiling River' after heavy rain, as it cools down the scalding temperatures.
Despite his skepticism, Ruzo embarked on a trip with his aunt to the river to see it for himself.
The river is 700km away form the nearest volcanic centric, so Ruzo didn't have high hopes about the 'Boiling River' being real.
But it was.
While it was somewhat mythical to people outside of the Amazon, Ruzo discovered that the 'Boiling River' was simply a part of everyday life for locals.
They use the water to drink from, to cook with, and take advantage of the vapours it gives off.
Ruzo went on to get the permission of the shaman to study the river, which he was granted.
Fast-forward to more recent years, and Ruzo has set up The Boiling River Project, which was done so 'to protect the Boiling River of the Amazon through scientific research and educational initiatives'.
You can watch his full TED talk here.