ZAP’S FACTS!
RIVERS & LAKES

The Mississippi River sometimes flows backwards.

Earthquakes and storms have actually reversed the river's direction more than once.

2 min read
The Mississippi River sometimes flows backwards.
THE FULL STORY

The Mississippi River runs almost 3,800 kilometres from northern Minnesota down to the Gulf of Mexico, draining water from 31 U.S. states along the way. A single raindrop falling into its source takes around three months to make the whole journey.

Once in a while, the Mississippi flows the wrong way. In the winter of 1811-1812, a series of huge earthquakes near New Madrid, Missouri, shook the riverbed so hard that the river ran backwards for several hours. People reported waterfalls appearing where there had been none.

It happened again briefly in 2012, when Hurricane Isaac’s storm surge near New Orleans pushed water upstream. The Mississippi also moves sideways constantly, building a giant delta and forming new oxbow lakes whenever it cuts off one of its endless curves.

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