The river boiled water boiled everything in the Amazon forest

The river stretches over 6km through the Amazon forest with an average temperature of 86 degrees Celsius, making most animals lose their lives if they accidentally fall into the water.

According to the IFL Science, Andrés Ruzo, Peruvian geological physicist, was the first to pay attention to the boiling river in 2011.

The river has been known for centuries by indigenous communities living in the Amazon, but has not yet officially appeared on the map. Although many questions about the cause of this strange phenomenon have not been explained, Ruzo's research helps reveal some secrets associated with the river.

Picture 1 of The river boiled water boiled everything in the Amazon forest
The name of the river means "simmering with the sun's heat" in the local language.(Photo: Sofia Ruzo).

Natural hot water sources are not new. Geothermal springs are present all over the world like Iceland and Yosemite, USA. Streams of this type are always close to volcanoes, but the boiling water river in Peru is more than 700 km from the nearest volcanic center.

In the local language, the river is called Shanay-timpishka , meaning "seething with the Sun's heat" . "The most interesting thing is the size of the river. After all, it is not necessary to have a volcano for hot springs to form, but when there is no volcano near, streams are usually not so big." , Ruzo commented.

Boiling water is 6.24km long and has an average temperature of 86˚C. Since most of the riverbed is larger than a two-lane road, the amount of heat needed to heat the entire volume of water to such a high temperature must be extremely large.

Picture 2 of The river boiled water boiled everything in the Amazon forest
Adrés Ruzo started studying the river since 2011. (Photo: Devlin Gandy).

In an interview, Ruzo said the river was hot enough to kill most animals that fell into the water. According to Ruzo, the first part that was destroyed was the eye, then the flesh of the victim began to be boiled by the river.

A big question is where the heat of the river comes from . Chemical analysis carried out by Ruzo indicates that river water comes from rains. After falling, it is likely that rainwater penetrates deep into the earth, where it is heated by the Earth's geothermal heat , before flowing into the Amazon. In other words, the river is part of a giant hydrothermal system.

Ruzo shared before approaching the river, he suspected it could be caused by an oil or gas well. Although Ruzo concluded after the study, he decided to repel the announcement date until the Peruvian government took measures to protect the river against those who illegally exploited it.