Description Pärnu (river)

1 description

1.1 geology
1.2 hydrology
1.3 culture

description

catchment area of pärnu river (in red)

the river pärnu second longest river in estonia @ 144 kilometres (89 mi), , 1 of ten rivers in country longer 100 kilometres (62 mi). catchment area 6,920 square kilometres (2,670 sq mi), occupying one-sixth of landmass of estonia , 1 of 15 catchment areas of estonian rivers exceeds 1,000 square kilometres (390 sq mi). sources in karst upland of pandivere, in north-eastern estonia, , main tributaries join river upland of sakala. due length, river pärnu passes through of landscape types found in estonia. rivers surroundings dominated agriculture , upper reaches in järva county considered of best arable land in estonia. in area around paide town, river flows through forests , wetlands. discharges pärnu bay; city of pärnu lies river enters sea.

geology

the catchment area of river composed of lower silurian deposits north of river sea merges navesti, , there north of navesti, , south of line composed of largely middle devonian deposits. near tori, sandstone outcroppings, cliffs , caves border river. in northern , eastern course, river runs on thin (from 5 metres [16 ft] down little 1 metre [3.3 ft]) layer of topsoil, while closer sea topsoil can deep 60 metres (200 ft).

hydrology

the variations in runoff river great, due @ least in part fact river catchment area lacks large lakes. reason, , due meandering form, river has been called estonian mississippi . river typically floods @ spring, after heavy rains in autumn , summer, , maximum amount of recorded water in runoff @ hydrological station in oore has been measured more 100 times of minimum. flat landscape aggravates effects of flooding, , large stretches along river characterised flood meadows, flood plain forests , swamp forests. flood plain forests of type found shores of river pärnu uncommon in estonia , in rest of europe, few have been preserved. flood meadows along river have decreased in numbers due lack of tending them; in recent years however, efforts have been made restore several of them.

culture

the towns of pärnu, paide , türi located on banks of river pärnu. river has been focal point human activity long time; oldest discovered settlement in estonia has been discovered river near town of sindi , has been dated circa 7,500 bc.