DEPICTING THE HEADWATERS OF THE AMAZON RIVER 
THROUGH THE USE OF REMOTE SENSING DATA 
Paulo Roberto Martini 
Jose Wagner Garcia 
Brazilian National Institute of Space Research-INPE. 
Astronautas Avenue 1758. Bairro Jardim da Granja. 
12.227-010 Sao Jose dos Campos SP Brazil. 
E-mail: atus@ltid.inpe.br 
ABSTRACT 
Following the concept that the most remote slope is the very birth place of a river a new site for the head- 
waters of the Amazon is proposed. To depict the site emphasis has been done on the use of LANDSAT 
Thematic Mapper images. Synoptic viewing and spectral attributes have strongly contributed to follow the 
mainstream of the Amazon from Iquitos to the vicinities of Cusco and upwards to the headwaters deep in 
the cliffs of the Western Andean Range of Peru. Spectral attribute helped mostly to trace the Ucayali banks 
in the lowlands. Dry season images show the Ucayali cutting across longer meanders in the Peruvian 
Amazonia. Images over this region acquired during the wet season show those meanders enlarged by flood- 
ing of Ucayali waters with brigth spectral signatures. To follow the Amazon in the uplands (Apurimac River) 
images with higher sun elevation angles (wet season) were tried in order to avoid shadowing over the main- 
stream but lack of cloud free images forced to select winter frames. The Apurimac landscapes use to show 
very deep slopes and so the low sun angles of winter let some parts of the river meandering in the shadows. 
The images were printed.in 250,000 scale as color composite TM bands 3B4G5R with standard gains in the 
forest domain and stretched gains for 3B4R5G frames of the rocky and dry uplands. The mainstream of the 
Amazon River was followed until the Northern cliffs of Nevado Queuhicha. Nevado Queuhicha divides the 
waters of the Amazon and the Colca River. This mountain with more than 5,000 meters is where the Amazon 
River start to run. According to system corrected LANDSAT image the coordinates of the Amazon head- 
waters site are: longitude West 71 degrees 41 minutes 41 seconds and latitude South 15 degrees 31 minutes 
52 seconds. From this new birthsite and flowing by the channels of Japura and Tapara the Amazon is the 
longest river on Earth. Very new aspects of the Amazon fluvial system in the Atlantic coast are presented. 
Andes Folding Belt in the West. Sorrounded by these 
  
1.INTRODUCTION 
To study the Amazon River as a unique fluvial 
System is the main goal of the Amazing Amazon 
Project which is one of the many scientific issues 
about the tropical region going on at the Brazilian 
Institute of Space Research. 
To our understanding the Amazon is a living 
planetary system where geological parameters are 
giving us a briefing about the history of South 
America in terms of the Earth's time and not about 
the men's time. To our geomorphic model such huge 
fluvial system is controlled by the Guyana Shield in 
North, the Brazilian Plateau in the South and the 
475 
large tectonic features the Amazon System mean- 
ders over 7.9 mega square kilometers facing just one 
geomorphic purpose: to transport the high Andean 
mountains to the Atlantic. The Amazon subsystems 
of Guyana and Central Brazil are not weathering 
any landscape. They are just carrying waters with 
lack of suspended sediments. 
Most of the sediments weathered from the 
mountains are carried to the Northeastern coastlines 
of South America. From year to year this silting 
process born in the Andean waters of the Amazon 
designs new contourlines in the shores of Guyana, 
French Guyana, Suriname and Brazil. 
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B7. Vienna 1996