ARREICA BASIN: CHARACTERISTICS, BASINS IN MEXICO AND ARGENTINA - GEOGRAPHY - 2025

An arreica basin is a type of hydrographic basin that does not have any apparent connection with rivers or water flows that move the stagnant liquid within the basin itself. The movements of water in the arreicas hydrographic accounts are usually very different from those of a common basin.

In a common basin the water moves through rivers that maintain a constant flow. In the arreicas basins, the water evaporates from the ground or seeps under the ground, thus causing its disappearance. The waters of these basins do not connect with seas, but simply appear to disappear from the ground.

characteristics

A basin is an area of ​​land where the water that rushes towards the land, gathers in a single place like a river or bay and then moves within the same basin.

The water that a basin gathers does not necessarily have to come directly from the rain. For example, when water that is frozen in the form of snow melts, it can also fall into the basin warehouse.

This concept does not vary for the arreicas basins, although it is not common to see melted snow in these types of warehouses because they are usually located in arid and desert areas.

These basins usually connect with others that are found in lower elevations of land, creating chains of lakes and mainly rivers that connect one with another. The way the water is concentrated within the basin and its flow determines what type of basin it is.

For example, if the water is concentrated in a single point in the basin, it is characterized as endorheic. In the exorheic the water flows but external access from other water sources is not allowed, such as rivers adjacent to the basin; however, this does occur in endorheic patients.

Adjacency

The arreicas basins are usually found in isolated areas, presenting only desert and areas without other formations around; This tends to occur mainly in the desert basins.

However, there are some exceptions to this: in Argentina basins of this style can be seen nearby, near La Pampa.

On the other hand, in the basins that present greater flow of water between them, each one acts as a funnel. They collect water and then connect with other basins in their surroundings, creating a series of mountains, hills and cliffs around them as an effect of the flow of water that burrows the earth.

Drain style

Although an arreic basin presents a very different characteristic that visually separates it from the endorheic and exorheic ones, its functioning follows the same pattern as that of its other two counterparts.

In fact, their functions are highly similar, with the main difference that an endorheic basin does not have a drainage hierarchy system.

Within endorheic basins, aquatic systems are formed that connect to each other. Depending on the way a basin is elevated, the rivers or lakes within the basin create a pattern in the flow of water, starting with a small lake at the top and dividing into more and more rivers as it descends..

This hierarchy system, where the highest concentration of water spreads throughout the rest of the basin, does not exist in the arreicas basins.

Usually, in this type of basin, concentrations of water are simply formed in the form of small lakes or puddles, which seep below the surface and concentrate below the ground.

Uses in hydrology

Most of the water that is stored in the basins comes from rain. However, other methods can help fill them. This makes them essential for hydrological studies.

A part of the water that seeps under the ground in an arreic basin goes through a particular movement process, which is studied in hydrology.

It is also a common practice to measure the amount of water released by each type of basin, in what time it does and in what way. In the arreicas basins, the filtering process by which the water passes to the subsoil is taken into consideration, as well as the amount of water that evaporates before filtering.

The water storage capacity of these basins is also used to determine the amount of water that falls into them after rainfall.

Other features

The topography and geographic shape of each basin play an important process when filtering the water. While the main process by which an arreica basin loses water is through evaporation, the elevations within the same basin dictate how quickly the water will seep underground.

The type of soil is also essential for drainage. Sand allows water to easily seep underground, making the water movement process in an arreic basin more efficient in arid areas (where they are more common).

If the soil is clay, its filtration is more difficult and the water only leaves the basins of this composition by evaporation.

Arreicas basins in Mexico

There is only one basin of this style in Mexico. Faithfully adapting to this description, it is a giant basin that encompasses almost the entire state of Quintana Roo, a small part of Campeche and a large part of Yucatán.

Arreicas basins in Argentina

The main archaeological basins of Argentina are mainly found in four areas. La Palma and El Chaco have geographic inclinations and the semi-arid zones that make up these regions are considered arreic basins.

The Puna is a mountainous region crossed by countless endorheic basins, but it also has arid areas where water seeps below the ground.

These areas are classified as arreicas basins. This type of basins can also be found in the Patagonian plateau.

References

1. Drainage Basin, (nd), February 8, 2018. Taken from Wikipedia.org
2. Qattara Depression, (nd), September 30, 2017. Taken from Wikipedia.org
3. Drainage basin, The Physical Environment. University of Wisconsin, 2004. Taken from uwsp.edu
4. Arheic drainage, (nd), January 26, 2012. Taken from ametsoc.org
5. Saline Lake Ecosystems of the World, UT Hammer, (nd). Taken from books.google.com