This Incredible 'Boiling River' Is A Scientific Enigma

When geoscientist and National Geographic explorer Andrs Ruzowas growing up in Lima, Peru, his
grandfather used to tell him wild stories of Spanish conquistadors, cities of gold and an Amazonian
river so hot it could boil men alive.
But it wasn't until he was studying geothermal energy that Ruzo decided to look into this mythical
boiling river -- and, much to his surprise,actually found it. While boiling rivers do exist in the world,
they are usually found close to active volcanos. This river is especially remarkable because it
runsmore than 400 miles from the nearest active volcano -- the only non-volcanic river known to boil
on Earth.
"At a time when everything seems mapped, measured and understood,this river challenges what we
think we know," Ruzo writes in his new book, The Boiling River:Adventure and Discovery in the
Amazon. "It is a reminder that there are still great wonders to be discovered."
Located in a forest region calledMayantuyacu, the sacred boiling river, which is guarded by a
shaman, flows hot -- between 120 and 196 degrees Fahrenheit -- foralmost 4 miles and is about as
wide as a two-lane road.
Its ancient name, "Shanay-timpishka," loosely translates to boiled with the heat of the sun, Ruzo
writes in National Geographic. Locals say it is hot because of the Yacumama,"a giant serpent spirit
who gives birth to hot and cold waters and is represented by a large serpent head-shaped boulder at
the rivers headwaters."
"What was amazing is that the locals had always known about this place, and that I was by no means
the first outsider to see it," Ruzo said in a 2014 episode of TED Talks. "It was just part of their
everyday life. They drink its water, they take in its vapor. They cook with it, clean with it, even make
their medicines with it."
And yet somehow,the natural wonder managed to go relatively unnoticed by the larger world,
especially scientists.

Sofia
RuzoA shaman stands at the edge of the boiling river.
Since first visiting the river in 2011, Ruzo has attempted to understand the phenomenon,returning
annually to conduct scientific research.
As he explains in his TED Talk, his research shows that the river exists independently of volcanism
and is the result of a large hydrothermal system.
"The waters could be coming fromas far away as glaciers in the Andes," he said, "then seeping down
deep into the Earth and coming out to form the boiling river after getting heated up from that
geothermal gradient, all due to this unique geologic setting."
His book announces the discovery of "previously undocumented species of extremophile
microorganisms living in and around the Boiling River at temperatures that would kill us."
Understanding the organisms, he says, may help scientists understand how life originated on the
planet.

Devlin
GandyAndrs Ruzo collects a water sample from Peru's boiling river.
Ruzo has kept his research mostly in the dark for the past five years in order to "introduce the river
to the world responsibly." The river, he notes in his book, is not yet legally protected and is not
significantly marked on any map. His research forced him to navigate the"tangle of competing
interests -- local shamans, illegal cattle farmers and loggers, and oil companies."
To help protect this rare natural wonder and the surrounding jungle, Ruzo has founded a nonprofit
called The Boiling River Project, where he posts more scientific findings.
"Be curious," Ruzo urges readers in his book. "There is significance in the landscapes we pass by, in
the pixels of Google Earth's satellite imagery, and in the smallest details of stories."
See his 2014 TED Talks episode below for more details.
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