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Continental Divide and continental divide should be merged.
Should this be moved to North American continental divide? -- SPUI ( talk) 21:02, 2 November 2005 (UTC)
The map that goes with this article, while colorful, could be replaced with something better. For one thing, the depiction of the Great Basin in the map contradicts the explanation in the article (and the article, I believe, is correct). Unschool 22:42, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
As the "triple point" link goes to a discussion of the chemical sense of the word, and "Triple Point (Geography)" seems like a really silly additional article, I'm removing the link to "Triple Point." I think an uninitiated reader can get the sense of the word in context, and would be even more confused by an unrelated discussion of the chemistry application of "triple point." (see the discussion page for the "Triple Point" article) Yale2010 02:07, 1 April 2006 (UTC)
This article say the great basin divide is in/around Wyoming, but on the map it appears to be northern California and/or part of Utah... Super Jedi Droid 02:05, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
I would also add that Gray's Peak is not the highest peak on the North American Continental Divide. The Mountains of the Sawatch range are higher. Mt Elbert is the highest peak in the rockies at 14,440ft, a part of the Sawatch Range and is the highest peak on the Continental Divide in North America. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 136.181.192.1 ( talk) 18:16, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
I propose to move this article to Great Divide over redirect.
If no objection is made to this proposal within 7 days I will implement the move. Please discuss below. Kablammo 22:09, 21 October 2007 (UTC)
As there is no opposition, the redirect will be made. There are a large number of links which need to be changed. I will not be able to devote a lot of time to that right away. Kablammo 12:07, 31 October 2007 (UTC)
Sidebar: we have the same issue with twin cities and Twin Cities. In the U.S., Twin Cities overwhelmingly refers to Minneapolis-St. Paul, but the generic term (not-capitalized) has other uses, and world-wide "Twin Cities" has other uses too. My tactic has been to replace Twin Cities with Twin Cities so that the link doesn't rely on the the U.S.-centric view. I have been reprimanded for making that change (see User talk:Appraiser/Archive3#Avoiding redirects), but I still think it's a good idea. In this case, I would suggest Moving the article to Continental Divide (Rocky Mountains) and then changing all relevant occurrences of Continental Divide to Continental Divide. Then the generic "continental divide" works and the Australian and other divides can have their equivalent article names without interference.-- Appraiser 13:15, 1 November 2007 (UTC)
It appears we do not have a consensus on this proposal.-- Appraiser ( talk) 14:21, 20 December 2007 (UTC)
I propose moving Continental Divide to Continental Divide (Rocky Mountains) with a goal of "piping" links to this article by replacing Continental Divide with [[Continental Divide (Rocky Mountains)|Continental Divide]]-- Appraiser ( talk) 14:21, 20 December 2007 (UTC)
Template:Ft has been nominated for deletion. You are invited to comment on the discussion at the template's entry on the Templates for Deletion page. Thank you. — pete 14:56, 8 April 2008 (UTC)
Hello all...
An image used in the article, specifically Image:Continental Divide in Colorado - July 2005.jpg, has a little bit of a licensing issue. The image was uploaded back when the rules around image uploading were less restrictive. It is presumed that the uploader was willing to license the picture under the GFDL license but was not clear in that regard. As such, the image, while not at risk of deletion, is likely not clearly licensed to allow for free use in any future use of this article. If anyone has an image that can replace this, or can go take one and upload it, it would be best.
You have your mission, take your camera and start clicking.-- Jordan 1972 ( talk) 00:48, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
This is such a common and entrenched mistake it seems almost impossible to correct, given the amount of curriculum (particularly US curriculum) and publications (particularly US publications) which employ it; I've changed it in this article but it continues to present itself a cross a host of other related articles, e.g. Triple Divide Peak. Can't anyone read maps anymore, or is everything north of the US "the Arctic"....'xcuse me, I have to go throw another block of ice on the igloo.... Skookum1 ( talk) 04:46, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
Buiadh, I just looked at the Atlas of Canada "Hudson Bay NT" page - which of its sublinks give its definition as being part of the Arctic Ocean? Like all CanGov sites, it can be hard to penetrate unless by those who programmed it.... Skookum1 ( talk) 05:52, 7 December 2008 (UTC)
Have any of you Canadians (or Americans) been to Churchill, Manitoba? especially this time of year? As kids bundle up to trick-or-treat on Halloween, migrating polar bears are of high concern. Ask (and I have) anybody who lives ON Hudson Bay and they will tell you that that body of water-- which is fed by the Interpolar Current of its parent ocean, the Arctic, and fills up with ice--is part of the Arctic Ocean. They don't consider themselves to live on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean! I'm taking a stab in the dark and assuming that the Canadians who are debating whether or not Hudson Bay is part of the larger Arctic Ocean are actually from Vancouver or Calgary--or someplace in between--and not residents who actually live on Hudson Bay. People on the bay do NOT consider the water lapping their yards to be the Atlantic Ocean, anymore than the majority of oceanographers, geographers, geologists, or biologists worldwide do. Hudson Bay is part of the Arctic Ocean, making Triple Divide Peak (TDP) in Glacier-Waterton International Peace park the only triple point in North America. It is also the only triple point in the world because 1) Australia, South America, Europe, and Africa border only two oceans, and 2) while Asia touches three oceans, the vast endorheic basin(s) in the interior of Eurasia prevent a true triple point from existing. Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park is the only place on earth whose waters feed three oceans, period. None of this is bias; the average American does not consider everything north of the US-Canadian border to the arctic, despite the "Great White North" jokes on 'Strange Brew.' Finally, who cares how tall the peak is? Triple Divide Peak is 8,000 feet high. There are peaks two thousand+ feet higher in Glacier Park (near the elevation of Snow Dome), and the highest peak in Montana is almost 5,000 feet higher than TDP (and so higher than Snow Dome). An 8,000 foot peak is still a mountain, and this mountain happens to be a triple oceanic point on the earth. Snow Dome is also an important and notable triple point, but it involves two oceans, like the triple point in Minnesota where the Great Lakes, Hudson, and Mississippi divide lines meet. 75.175.187.195 ( talk) 04:04, 18 October 2010 (UTC)
If this is going to be claimed as "Continental Divide of the Americas " where is the map of South America. It seems the whole article is North Americancentric, there is really nothing about SA and CA in there minus a blurb about Panama and the Andes. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Seattlehawk94 ( talk • contribs) 14:19, 15 March 2009 (UTC)
:II I third that. We should either rename the article to limit the topic to North America or expand it greatly. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.124.28.18 ( talk) 20:15, 12 April 2012 (UTC)
Re this:
Well, duh, except the very next paragraph sez there's another triple divide point just north at the Columbia Icefield. Is that on a different planet? Or could it be that the University of Montana citation is US-myopic and hasn't really given their claim much thought? Invalid cites are still invalid/incorrect; all that can be said is that the University of Montana site says that, but in reality there's the Columbia Icefield triple-point also. And it won't help quibbling that the Arctic Ocean and Hudson Bay are teh same thing, that's no more true than saying the Atlantic Ocean and Hudson Bay are the same thing. And, um, now that I think about it, it's a toss-up whether the Bering Strait (the outlet of the Yukon River) is part of the Pacific or the Arctic Oceans...somewhere up there, there's going to be a triple point between the Yukon (Bering Strait), Taku (Pacific Ocean) or Stikine (Pacific Ocean) and the Liard or Finlay (Arctic Ocean), which is just as much a triple point as the Columbia Icefield is....and I don't know African geography well, but it seems that the Nile and Congo must share, at some point, a drainage divide with something flowing to the Indian ccean. And given that Eurasia is bounded by not three, but four oceans, somewhere up in Tibet or the Altai there would seem to have to be a triple (or even quadruple) drainage point, by simple topographic geometry; even if there's no water flowing near that point it's still a drainage divide.....then there's the reality of Europe, where the Rhine and the Danube rise near each other and their drainage basins must flank something flowing to the Med (gee, that would be the Rhone, most likely....); OK, the North, Baltic and Mediterranean are only seas but it's only a question of terminology (especially given the assumption that Hudson Bay is an "ocean", or even part of one). Claims like "the only place on earth' are generally pretty shallow and always based on the person making them making up their own application of the definitions, i.e. they're very subjective, and always suspect. Skookum1 ( talk) 02:13, 25 October 2009 (UTC)
I just finished reading the article and noticed the "only place on earth" claim also, yet the very next paragraph conflicts with that assertion. I see your (Snookum1) comment was made over 2 years ago...is that claim going to be corrected/removed anytime? I can do it myself if I didn't believe someone would go after me and put it back claiming I'm vandalizing an article. 72.220.110.184 ( talk) 03:52, 30 April 2012 (UTC)
Well, I went ahead and edited the "only place on earth" statement. 72.220.110.184 ( talk) 03:59, 30 April 2012 (UTC)
As in the previous section, I believe there is a case to be made for the importance of the Yukon basin v. other Pacific drainages v. other Arctic drainages. I've located the point, it's Ash Mountain in Tuya Mountains Provincial Park. Streams off its south slopes flow to the Tuya (Stikine basin); off its southeast slopes to the Cottonwood River (Dease/Liard -> Mackenzie/Arctic drainage) and the Jennings River (Teslin-Yukon-Bering drainage) off its north. Skookum1 ( talk) 03:50, 28 October 2009 (UTC)
Has the Gulf of Meixico/Hudson Bay and Appalachian divide and the Gulf of Mexico-St. Lawrence divide - this is very much USPOV/context, and it should include the Mackenzie/Saskatchewan/Great Barrens divide and the Yukon/Stikine-Taku-Skagway-Alsek/Pacific divide. Pretty much the Yukon-Mackenzie/North Slope divide needs to be shown as well i.e. the outline of its basin (same idea as the Mississippi). Too much to ask for the Sea of Cortes/main Pacific divide, I guess - too hard to plot maybe? Skookum1 ( talk) 03:50, 28 October 2009 (UTC)
Somewhere in the Rockies, a creek forks and flows toward both the Missouri and (if i remember right) the Columbia. I've seen it on a topo map but have forgotten most details. — Tamfang ( talk) 07:44, 24 June 2010 (UTC)
If the Atlantic subdivisions of the St. Lawrence basin, the Atlantic Seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico are shown, then certainly the much more significant divide between the Beaufort Sea and Hudson Bay drainages should be shown; I know there's that "but they're both the Arctic Ocean" definition issue, but basins whose outlets are a couple of thousand miles apart and which divide a significant sector of the continent....well, suffice to say it seems that the maker of this map saw US basin-divisions as more significant, even though thyey're not; if the Atlantic Seaboard/Appalachian Divide is shown, also, the Churchill/Ungava/Labrador main divide should also be shown (especially since one flows to the "Arctic Ocean" aka Hudson Bay while the other flows directly to the North Atlantic..... Skookum1 ( talk) 22:05, 22 November 2010 (UTC)
I finished a new map, at the Commons: North American - Water Divides. I'll use it on this page for now. Feedback welcomed (perhaps better at User talk:Pfly instead of here). Some of the terminology might not be ideal. I ended up using the term "Arctic" for the Hudson Bay–Beaufort Sea divide, a term I saw here and there. Realized "Hudson Bay Divide" would not work because that would include the so-called Laurentian/Northern divide as well as the new one I added. I'm not devoted to the term "Arctic Divide", but not sure about "Hudson Bay–Beaufort Sea Divide"--anyway the new line goes clear to the southern end of Baffin Island, far from the Beaufort Sea). Also, I'm thinking of adding some additional text, like identifying the various closed basins along the divides ( Great Divide Basin, Bolsón de Mapimí, etc). Also thinking about uploading an SVG version with PNGs at various sizes, but have to learn a bit more about how to do that. Anyway, it may not be the best map in the world, but it should be an improvement over the old one. Pfly ( talk) 21:15, 23 November 2010 (UTC)
I have deleted what looks to me to be vandalism by 24.91.156.163 in their second revision on 10 May. I might be wrong, but Quinoa is not a tribe but a cereal and Monogui Driskol turns up precisely one hit on Google; this article. Cottonshirt τ 19:17, 15 May 2011 (UTC)
I think it is impossible for there NOT to be a connecting divide between the Great Basin and the Great Divide. That seems to have escaped the map makers and geographers. At some point, the water either flows south of the basin or north....i.e. another line is needed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.179.172.59 ( talk) 06:19, 10 December 2011 (UTC)
The result of the move request was: moved DrKiernan ( talk) 21:25, 24 March 2013 (UTC)
Continental Divide of the Northern Americas → Continental Divide of the Americas – This article was inappropriately moved from "Continental Divide of the Americas" to "Continental Divide of the Northern Americas". The proper name of this New World hydrological divide is the "Continental Divide of the Americas". The term "Continental Divide of the Northern Americas" has never been used. Buaidh 18:55, 16 March 2013 (UTC)
This article is intended to cover both North and South America. The South American portion of this article requires further development. Yours aye, Buaidh 18:55, 16 March 2013 (UTC)
The term " the Americas" comprises North America, the Carribean, Central America, and South America. The Continental Divide of the Americas extends from the Bering Strait to the Strait of Magellan. You may wish to create articles about specific portions of this hydrological divide, but please keep this article intact to discuss the entire length of this major world hydrographic feature. Yours aye, Buaidh 14:33, 18 March 2013 (UTC)
Shouldn't File:NorthAmerica-WaterDivides.png have a separate zone for the Gulf of California and Bering Strait? (Since the Gulf of Mexico and Hudson Bay are separate from the Atlantic and Arctic respectively) -- 65.92.180.137 ( talk) 13:57, 18 March 2013 (UTC)
Technically speaking, a "continental" hydrological division should span the entire breath of a " continent". The Continental Divide of the Americas spans the entire length of either one or two continents, depending on whether you consider the Americas to be one or two continents. Many lesser hydrological divisions are commonly called "continental divides", although the term does not properly apply. The Eastern Continental Divide extends from Cape Breton to the Florida Keys, not quite the breath of a continent, but significant nonetheless. Yours aye, Buaidh 15:11, 18 March 2013 (UTC)
Finally made a map showing the divide in South America (and Central America, which isn't shown on the other map): http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SouthAmerica-ContinentalDivide.png . It's rather minimal. I think I got the divide right, but let me know if there are any issues with the map. The divide in southern Chile/Argentina might be slightly different, but I think I got it right. Also, there are additional closed drainage areas south of the Altiplano region shown, but as far as I could tell they mostly lie east of the divide, in Argentina, rather than on it, and are mostly rather small anyway. Pfly ( talk) 07:21, 2 April 2013 (UTC)
A good start, but there are some issues that I would bring up regarding the areas that I am most familiar with. First I think your need to review the drainage basins between latitudes 45 and 49 South. In particular you need to look at the drainage basins associated with Lake General Carrera, Lake O'Higgins and Cochrane Lake. All of these lakes and feeder streams drain to the Pacific and not Atlantic (as shown). An easy check of this is that in these latitudes there are no Atlantic drainages within the Chile, while there are several (portions) of Pacific Drainages in Argentina. The second, and tricker issue, is what to do with the Strait of Magellan. You seem to have cut along a fairly arbitrary line that parallels the high peak of the Andes. I think it is generally accepted that the entire Strait is considered part of the Pacific Ocean -- and it meets the Atlantic ocean on its eastern mouth. Therefore you may want to show drainage basins that feed in to the straight, both on the North, maindlan-side, as well as in Tierra del Fuego, as being of the Pacific-side of the divide. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.239.112.135 ( talk) 16:46, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
I added the Panama Canal to the See also section, but it was removed
[9]. This is the interesting relevance: the Canal is fed (lock operations are fed) throught the high level lake. The lake itself is filled by Gatun and Chagres rivers, which originally flowed into the Pacific Atlantic. Now through the Culebra Cut, the digout in the ridge that breaks through the watershed ridge, the water flow into the Atlantic Pacific too. That is a sort of interruption in the watershed I'd say. -
DePiep (
talk)
08:33, 30 May 2013 (UTC)
I'm taking out the "Human and cultural impact" section and posting it here in order to explain. First, as Mexico is part of North America the claim that Lewis and Clark, or Simon Fraser, were the first to cross the divide is very wrong. Second, the whole idea of "Aboriginal impact with The Divide" is not explained. What is it even supposed to mean? Third, the term "aboriginal in-migration" is confusing and unsourced. Fourth, the idea that the divide is a symbol of the difference between eastern and western America is unsourced and hard to believe—New Mexico and Wyoming are part of "the east"? And that assuming "America" means the United States—if it doesn't then the claim is even less believable. Finally, the divide might play a role in the book The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, but this seems rather trivial for a geographic feature spanning two continents. Also the source cited merely mentions "the drainage patterns along the Continental Divide", not that the divide serves as a "central symbol". Anyway, removed text below. Pfly ( talk) 23:18, 26 August 2013 (UTC)
Aboriginal impact with The Divide in North America was largely undocumented until the early 19th Century, when the [[Corps of Discovery]] first crossed then recrossed it in search of a waterway connecting the Columbia and Missouri drainages. A slightly earlier voyage by [[Simon Fraser (explorer)|Simon Fraser]] crossed the Divide further north. Much of the exploration was in search of a fabled [[Northwest Passage]].<ref>Allen, John Logan, ''Journey through the Garden'', 1974, ISBN 0-252-00397-7</ref> Aboriginal [[Settlement of the Americas|in-migration]] is thought{{by who|date=August 2013}} to have been profoundly affected by the Divide{{fact|date=August 2013}}. The divide is often used{{by who|date=August 2013}} as a symbol of the difference between eastern and western America. It serves as one of the central symbols for [[Reif Larsen]]'s novel ''[[The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet]]''.<ref>[http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index.ssf/2009/05/book_review_a_daring_first_nov.html Fran Arrieta-Walden, "Review: The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet" ''Oregon Books'']</ref>
As usual when there's more than 5 or 6 of these, the article is lacking coverage of some significant subtopic. Continental divide as well as the names of the divides could/should be integrated into the last paragraph of the Geography section. The three trail-related items could/should be integrated into the Hiking trail subsection (rename it Trails instead). That leaves only 3 misc items. I question whether Cromwell Dixon is significant enough to be linked to this way. 'See also' is supposed to be links to significant accessory topics that a reader of the article is likely to be interested in. I don't think the latter qualifies - it's a Trivial Pursuit bit of trivia. Sbalfour ( talk) 17:26, 14 February 2019 (UTC)
The exceptions section is rather an opinion, and unsourced except for a trivial citation to a dubious quotation. Two of the largest anomalous areas, the Great Basin and the Florida Everglades/Lake Okeechobee are not mentioned at all. Most small lakes and ponds are in fact endorheic, so it's the rule, not the exception. And of course, all the local streams that feed those lakes are also endorheic. I think mentioning a building on the divide whose roof splits the precipitation is something for a popular magazine article, not a scholarly encyclopedia article.
A number of hydrological features are associated with divides including triple points, splits or closed loops in the divide, endorheic basins, split waterways, and places where the divide doesn't follow the ridgeline because of gaps or passes where water drains to the other side, i.e. the opposing watershed. I think a reorg to introduce a major section, 'Hydrological features', with subsections describing each one with a prominent example (not an enumeration) is the proper approach. Sbalfour ( talk) 17:49, 14 February 2019 (UTC)
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Continental Divide and continental divide should be merged.
Should this be moved to North American continental divide? -- SPUI ( talk) 21:02, 2 November 2005 (UTC)
The map that goes with this article, while colorful, could be replaced with something better. For one thing, the depiction of the Great Basin in the map contradicts the explanation in the article (and the article, I believe, is correct). Unschool 22:42, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
As the "triple point" link goes to a discussion of the chemical sense of the word, and "Triple Point (Geography)" seems like a really silly additional article, I'm removing the link to "Triple Point." I think an uninitiated reader can get the sense of the word in context, and would be even more confused by an unrelated discussion of the chemistry application of "triple point." (see the discussion page for the "Triple Point" article) Yale2010 02:07, 1 April 2006 (UTC)
This article say the great basin divide is in/around Wyoming, but on the map it appears to be northern California and/or part of Utah... Super Jedi Droid 02:05, 2 August 2006 (UTC)
I would also add that Gray's Peak is not the highest peak on the North American Continental Divide. The Mountains of the Sawatch range are higher. Mt Elbert is the highest peak in the rockies at 14,440ft, a part of the Sawatch Range and is the highest peak on the Continental Divide in North America. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 136.181.192.1 ( talk) 18:16, 9 April 2013 (UTC)
I propose to move this article to Great Divide over redirect.
If no objection is made to this proposal within 7 days I will implement the move. Please discuss below. Kablammo 22:09, 21 October 2007 (UTC)
As there is no opposition, the redirect will be made. There are a large number of links which need to be changed. I will not be able to devote a lot of time to that right away. Kablammo 12:07, 31 October 2007 (UTC)
Sidebar: we have the same issue with twin cities and Twin Cities. In the U.S., Twin Cities overwhelmingly refers to Minneapolis-St. Paul, but the generic term (not-capitalized) has other uses, and world-wide "Twin Cities" has other uses too. My tactic has been to replace Twin Cities with Twin Cities so that the link doesn't rely on the the U.S.-centric view. I have been reprimanded for making that change (see User talk:Appraiser/Archive3#Avoiding redirects), but I still think it's a good idea. In this case, I would suggest Moving the article to Continental Divide (Rocky Mountains) and then changing all relevant occurrences of Continental Divide to Continental Divide. Then the generic "continental divide" works and the Australian and other divides can have their equivalent article names without interference.-- Appraiser 13:15, 1 November 2007 (UTC)
It appears we do not have a consensus on this proposal.-- Appraiser ( talk) 14:21, 20 December 2007 (UTC)
I propose moving Continental Divide to Continental Divide (Rocky Mountains) with a goal of "piping" links to this article by replacing Continental Divide with [[Continental Divide (Rocky Mountains)|Continental Divide]]-- Appraiser ( talk) 14:21, 20 December 2007 (UTC)
Template:Ft has been nominated for deletion. You are invited to comment on the discussion at the template's entry on the Templates for Deletion page. Thank you. — pete 14:56, 8 April 2008 (UTC)
Hello all...
An image used in the article, specifically Image:Continental Divide in Colorado - July 2005.jpg, has a little bit of a licensing issue. The image was uploaded back when the rules around image uploading were less restrictive. It is presumed that the uploader was willing to license the picture under the GFDL license but was not clear in that regard. As such, the image, while not at risk of deletion, is likely not clearly licensed to allow for free use in any future use of this article. If anyone has an image that can replace this, or can go take one and upload it, it would be best.
You have your mission, take your camera and start clicking.-- Jordan 1972 ( talk) 00:48, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
This is such a common and entrenched mistake it seems almost impossible to correct, given the amount of curriculum (particularly US curriculum) and publications (particularly US publications) which employ it; I've changed it in this article but it continues to present itself a cross a host of other related articles, e.g. Triple Divide Peak. Can't anyone read maps anymore, or is everything north of the US "the Arctic"....'xcuse me, I have to go throw another block of ice on the igloo.... Skookum1 ( talk) 04:46, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
Buiadh, I just looked at the Atlas of Canada "Hudson Bay NT" page - which of its sublinks give its definition as being part of the Arctic Ocean? Like all CanGov sites, it can be hard to penetrate unless by those who programmed it.... Skookum1 ( talk) 05:52, 7 December 2008 (UTC)
Have any of you Canadians (or Americans) been to Churchill, Manitoba? especially this time of year? As kids bundle up to trick-or-treat on Halloween, migrating polar bears are of high concern. Ask (and I have) anybody who lives ON Hudson Bay and they will tell you that that body of water-- which is fed by the Interpolar Current of its parent ocean, the Arctic, and fills up with ice--is part of the Arctic Ocean. They don't consider themselves to live on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean! I'm taking a stab in the dark and assuming that the Canadians who are debating whether or not Hudson Bay is part of the larger Arctic Ocean are actually from Vancouver or Calgary--or someplace in between--and not residents who actually live on Hudson Bay. People on the bay do NOT consider the water lapping their yards to be the Atlantic Ocean, anymore than the majority of oceanographers, geographers, geologists, or biologists worldwide do. Hudson Bay is part of the Arctic Ocean, making Triple Divide Peak (TDP) in Glacier-Waterton International Peace park the only triple point in North America. It is also the only triple point in the world because 1) Australia, South America, Europe, and Africa border only two oceans, and 2) while Asia touches three oceans, the vast endorheic basin(s) in the interior of Eurasia prevent a true triple point from existing. Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park is the only place on earth whose waters feed three oceans, period. None of this is bias; the average American does not consider everything north of the US-Canadian border to the arctic, despite the "Great White North" jokes on 'Strange Brew.' Finally, who cares how tall the peak is? Triple Divide Peak is 8,000 feet high. There are peaks two thousand+ feet higher in Glacier Park (near the elevation of Snow Dome), and the highest peak in Montana is almost 5,000 feet higher than TDP (and so higher than Snow Dome). An 8,000 foot peak is still a mountain, and this mountain happens to be a triple oceanic point on the earth. Snow Dome is also an important and notable triple point, but it involves two oceans, like the triple point in Minnesota where the Great Lakes, Hudson, and Mississippi divide lines meet. 75.175.187.195 ( talk) 04:04, 18 October 2010 (UTC)
If this is going to be claimed as "Continental Divide of the Americas " where is the map of South America. It seems the whole article is North Americancentric, there is really nothing about SA and CA in there minus a blurb about Panama and the Andes. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Seattlehawk94 ( talk • contribs) 14:19, 15 March 2009 (UTC)
:II I third that. We should either rename the article to limit the topic to North America or expand it greatly. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 201.124.28.18 ( talk) 20:15, 12 April 2012 (UTC)
Re this:
Well, duh, except the very next paragraph sez there's another triple divide point just north at the Columbia Icefield. Is that on a different planet? Or could it be that the University of Montana citation is US-myopic and hasn't really given their claim much thought? Invalid cites are still invalid/incorrect; all that can be said is that the University of Montana site says that, but in reality there's the Columbia Icefield triple-point also. And it won't help quibbling that the Arctic Ocean and Hudson Bay are teh same thing, that's no more true than saying the Atlantic Ocean and Hudson Bay are the same thing. And, um, now that I think about it, it's a toss-up whether the Bering Strait (the outlet of the Yukon River) is part of the Pacific or the Arctic Oceans...somewhere up there, there's going to be a triple point between the Yukon (Bering Strait), Taku (Pacific Ocean) or Stikine (Pacific Ocean) and the Liard or Finlay (Arctic Ocean), which is just as much a triple point as the Columbia Icefield is....and I don't know African geography well, but it seems that the Nile and Congo must share, at some point, a drainage divide with something flowing to the Indian ccean. And given that Eurasia is bounded by not three, but four oceans, somewhere up in Tibet or the Altai there would seem to have to be a triple (or even quadruple) drainage point, by simple topographic geometry; even if there's no water flowing near that point it's still a drainage divide.....then there's the reality of Europe, where the Rhine and the Danube rise near each other and their drainage basins must flank something flowing to the Med (gee, that would be the Rhone, most likely....); OK, the North, Baltic and Mediterranean are only seas but it's only a question of terminology (especially given the assumption that Hudson Bay is an "ocean", or even part of one). Claims like "the only place on earth' are generally pretty shallow and always based on the person making them making up their own application of the definitions, i.e. they're very subjective, and always suspect. Skookum1 ( talk) 02:13, 25 October 2009 (UTC)
I just finished reading the article and noticed the "only place on earth" claim also, yet the very next paragraph conflicts with that assertion. I see your (Snookum1) comment was made over 2 years ago...is that claim going to be corrected/removed anytime? I can do it myself if I didn't believe someone would go after me and put it back claiming I'm vandalizing an article. 72.220.110.184 ( talk) 03:52, 30 April 2012 (UTC)
Well, I went ahead and edited the "only place on earth" statement. 72.220.110.184 ( talk) 03:59, 30 April 2012 (UTC)
As in the previous section, I believe there is a case to be made for the importance of the Yukon basin v. other Pacific drainages v. other Arctic drainages. I've located the point, it's Ash Mountain in Tuya Mountains Provincial Park. Streams off its south slopes flow to the Tuya (Stikine basin); off its southeast slopes to the Cottonwood River (Dease/Liard -> Mackenzie/Arctic drainage) and the Jennings River (Teslin-Yukon-Bering drainage) off its north. Skookum1 ( talk) 03:50, 28 October 2009 (UTC)
Has the Gulf of Meixico/Hudson Bay and Appalachian divide and the Gulf of Mexico-St. Lawrence divide - this is very much USPOV/context, and it should include the Mackenzie/Saskatchewan/Great Barrens divide and the Yukon/Stikine-Taku-Skagway-Alsek/Pacific divide. Pretty much the Yukon-Mackenzie/North Slope divide needs to be shown as well i.e. the outline of its basin (same idea as the Mississippi). Too much to ask for the Sea of Cortes/main Pacific divide, I guess - too hard to plot maybe? Skookum1 ( talk) 03:50, 28 October 2009 (UTC)
Somewhere in the Rockies, a creek forks and flows toward both the Missouri and (if i remember right) the Columbia. I've seen it on a topo map but have forgotten most details. — Tamfang ( talk) 07:44, 24 June 2010 (UTC)
If the Atlantic subdivisions of the St. Lawrence basin, the Atlantic Seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico are shown, then certainly the much more significant divide between the Beaufort Sea and Hudson Bay drainages should be shown; I know there's that "but they're both the Arctic Ocean" definition issue, but basins whose outlets are a couple of thousand miles apart and which divide a significant sector of the continent....well, suffice to say it seems that the maker of this map saw US basin-divisions as more significant, even though thyey're not; if the Atlantic Seaboard/Appalachian Divide is shown, also, the Churchill/Ungava/Labrador main divide should also be shown (especially since one flows to the "Arctic Ocean" aka Hudson Bay while the other flows directly to the North Atlantic..... Skookum1 ( talk) 22:05, 22 November 2010 (UTC)
I finished a new map, at the Commons: North American - Water Divides. I'll use it on this page for now. Feedback welcomed (perhaps better at User talk:Pfly instead of here). Some of the terminology might not be ideal. I ended up using the term "Arctic" for the Hudson Bay–Beaufort Sea divide, a term I saw here and there. Realized "Hudson Bay Divide" would not work because that would include the so-called Laurentian/Northern divide as well as the new one I added. I'm not devoted to the term "Arctic Divide", but not sure about "Hudson Bay–Beaufort Sea Divide"--anyway the new line goes clear to the southern end of Baffin Island, far from the Beaufort Sea). Also, I'm thinking of adding some additional text, like identifying the various closed basins along the divides ( Great Divide Basin, Bolsón de Mapimí, etc). Also thinking about uploading an SVG version with PNGs at various sizes, but have to learn a bit more about how to do that. Anyway, it may not be the best map in the world, but it should be an improvement over the old one. Pfly ( talk) 21:15, 23 November 2010 (UTC)
I have deleted what looks to me to be vandalism by 24.91.156.163 in their second revision on 10 May. I might be wrong, but Quinoa is not a tribe but a cereal and Monogui Driskol turns up precisely one hit on Google; this article. Cottonshirt τ 19:17, 15 May 2011 (UTC)
I think it is impossible for there NOT to be a connecting divide between the Great Basin and the Great Divide. That seems to have escaped the map makers and geographers. At some point, the water either flows south of the basin or north....i.e. another line is needed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.179.172.59 ( talk) 06:19, 10 December 2011 (UTC)
The result of the move request was: moved DrKiernan ( talk) 21:25, 24 March 2013 (UTC)
Continental Divide of the Northern Americas → Continental Divide of the Americas – This article was inappropriately moved from "Continental Divide of the Americas" to "Continental Divide of the Northern Americas". The proper name of this New World hydrological divide is the "Continental Divide of the Americas". The term "Continental Divide of the Northern Americas" has never been used. Buaidh 18:55, 16 March 2013 (UTC)
This article is intended to cover both North and South America. The South American portion of this article requires further development. Yours aye, Buaidh 18:55, 16 March 2013 (UTC)
The term " the Americas" comprises North America, the Carribean, Central America, and South America. The Continental Divide of the Americas extends from the Bering Strait to the Strait of Magellan. You may wish to create articles about specific portions of this hydrological divide, but please keep this article intact to discuss the entire length of this major world hydrographic feature. Yours aye, Buaidh 14:33, 18 March 2013 (UTC)
Shouldn't File:NorthAmerica-WaterDivides.png have a separate zone for the Gulf of California and Bering Strait? (Since the Gulf of Mexico and Hudson Bay are separate from the Atlantic and Arctic respectively) -- 65.92.180.137 ( talk) 13:57, 18 March 2013 (UTC)
Technically speaking, a "continental" hydrological division should span the entire breath of a " continent". The Continental Divide of the Americas spans the entire length of either one or two continents, depending on whether you consider the Americas to be one or two continents. Many lesser hydrological divisions are commonly called "continental divides", although the term does not properly apply. The Eastern Continental Divide extends from Cape Breton to the Florida Keys, not quite the breath of a continent, but significant nonetheless. Yours aye, Buaidh 15:11, 18 March 2013 (UTC)
Finally made a map showing the divide in South America (and Central America, which isn't shown on the other map): http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SouthAmerica-ContinentalDivide.png . It's rather minimal. I think I got the divide right, but let me know if there are any issues with the map. The divide in southern Chile/Argentina might be slightly different, but I think I got it right. Also, there are additional closed drainage areas south of the Altiplano region shown, but as far as I could tell they mostly lie east of the divide, in Argentina, rather than on it, and are mostly rather small anyway. Pfly ( talk) 07:21, 2 April 2013 (UTC)
A good start, but there are some issues that I would bring up regarding the areas that I am most familiar with. First I think your need to review the drainage basins between latitudes 45 and 49 South. In particular you need to look at the drainage basins associated with Lake General Carrera, Lake O'Higgins and Cochrane Lake. All of these lakes and feeder streams drain to the Pacific and not Atlantic (as shown). An easy check of this is that in these latitudes there are no Atlantic drainages within the Chile, while there are several (portions) of Pacific Drainages in Argentina. The second, and tricker issue, is what to do with the Strait of Magellan. You seem to have cut along a fairly arbitrary line that parallels the high peak of the Andes. I think it is generally accepted that the entire Strait is considered part of the Pacific Ocean -- and it meets the Atlantic ocean on its eastern mouth. Therefore you may want to show drainage basins that feed in to the straight, both on the North, maindlan-side, as well as in Tierra del Fuego, as being of the Pacific-side of the divide. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.239.112.135 ( talk) 16:46, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
I added the Panama Canal to the See also section, but it was removed
[9]. This is the interesting relevance: the Canal is fed (lock operations are fed) throught the high level lake. The lake itself is filled by Gatun and Chagres rivers, which originally flowed into the Pacific Atlantic. Now through the Culebra Cut, the digout in the ridge that breaks through the watershed ridge, the water flow into the Atlantic Pacific too. That is a sort of interruption in the watershed I'd say. -
DePiep (
talk)
08:33, 30 May 2013 (UTC)
I'm taking out the "Human and cultural impact" section and posting it here in order to explain. First, as Mexico is part of North America the claim that Lewis and Clark, or Simon Fraser, were the first to cross the divide is very wrong. Second, the whole idea of "Aboriginal impact with The Divide" is not explained. What is it even supposed to mean? Third, the term "aboriginal in-migration" is confusing and unsourced. Fourth, the idea that the divide is a symbol of the difference between eastern and western America is unsourced and hard to believe—New Mexico and Wyoming are part of "the east"? And that assuming "America" means the United States—if it doesn't then the claim is even less believable. Finally, the divide might play a role in the book The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, but this seems rather trivial for a geographic feature spanning two continents. Also the source cited merely mentions "the drainage patterns along the Continental Divide", not that the divide serves as a "central symbol". Anyway, removed text below. Pfly ( talk) 23:18, 26 August 2013 (UTC)
Aboriginal impact with The Divide in North America was largely undocumented until the early 19th Century, when the [[Corps of Discovery]] first crossed then recrossed it in search of a waterway connecting the Columbia and Missouri drainages. A slightly earlier voyage by [[Simon Fraser (explorer)|Simon Fraser]] crossed the Divide further north. Much of the exploration was in search of a fabled [[Northwest Passage]].<ref>Allen, John Logan, ''Journey through the Garden'', 1974, ISBN 0-252-00397-7</ref> Aboriginal [[Settlement of the Americas|in-migration]] is thought{{by who|date=August 2013}} to have been profoundly affected by the Divide{{fact|date=August 2013}}. The divide is often used{{by who|date=August 2013}} as a symbol of the difference between eastern and western America. It serves as one of the central symbols for [[Reif Larsen]]'s novel ''[[The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet]]''.<ref>[http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index.ssf/2009/05/book_review_a_daring_first_nov.html Fran Arrieta-Walden, "Review: The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet" ''Oregon Books'']</ref>
As usual when there's more than 5 or 6 of these, the article is lacking coverage of some significant subtopic. Continental divide as well as the names of the divides could/should be integrated into the last paragraph of the Geography section. The three trail-related items could/should be integrated into the Hiking trail subsection (rename it Trails instead). That leaves only 3 misc items. I question whether Cromwell Dixon is significant enough to be linked to this way. 'See also' is supposed to be links to significant accessory topics that a reader of the article is likely to be interested in. I don't think the latter qualifies - it's a Trivial Pursuit bit of trivia. Sbalfour ( talk) 17:26, 14 February 2019 (UTC)
The exceptions section is rather an opinion, and unsourced except for a trivial citation to a dubious quotation. Two of the largest anomalous areas, the Great Basin and the Florida Everglades/Lake Okeechobee are not mentioned at all. Most small lakes and ponds are in fact endorheic, so it's the rule, not the exception. And of course, all the local streams that feed those lakes are also endorheic. I think mentioning a building on the divide whose roof splits the precipitation is something for a popular magazine article, not a scholarly encyclopedia article.
A number of hydrological features are associated with divides including triple points, splits or closed loops in the divide, endorheic basins, split waterways, and places where the divide doesn't follow the ridgeline because of gaps or passes where water drains to the other side, i.e. the opposing watershed. I think a reorg to introduce a major section, 'Hydrological features', with subsections describing each one with a prominent example (not an enumeration) is the proper approach. Sbalfour ( talk) 17:49, 14 February 2019 (UTC)