New discovery of the process of forming the Mekong River

The Mekong, the 12th longest river in the world and the 7th in Asia, was formed about 17 million years ago.

It is the latest study conducted by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment at Lanzhou University, Gansu Province, China and published in the recent issue of Natural Geoscience.

Fishermen catch fish on the Mekong River flowing through Kandal Province, Cambodia.(Photo: AFP / VNA).

Professor She Junsheng of Lanzhou University, who led the study, said the river's slope is the main factor determining the formation of rivers , so determining the age of the Mekong valleys may be a clue to the clarification of when this river was formed.

Professor She Junsheng and members of the research team used methods to measure the temperature changes of the collected rock samples in the valley and study their heat generation to determine the age of the Mekong valleys. Since then, scientists have concluded that the slope in the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Mekong valley was formed about 17 million years ago, thus creating the river.

The study also shows that rainfall is increasing and erratic weather caused by the stronger rainy season in East Asia has made the banks of the Mekong River become steeper, a sign that also leads to conception river.

Originating from the Tibetan plateau in Qinghai Province, western China, flows through Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. This river is an important commercial waterway between Western China and Southeast Asian countries.