Chapter 01 of 5
The Basin of Anáhuac
Explore the unique endorheic lake system at 2,240 meters high.
- Geological Setting
The High-Altitude Trap
Mexico City sits in a massive basin 2,240 meters above sea level. It is surrounded by towering volcanic peaks that trap everything inside.
- Mechanism
The Endorheic Basin
This is a 'closed' drainage system. Because there are no natural outlets, water that enters can only leave through evaporation or seepage.
- Origin
A Volcanic Wall
Millions of years ago, lava flows from the Chichinautzin range blocked the valley's southern exit. This turned a river system into a series of lakes.
17 more cards in this chapter
Could you answer this?
What geological feature created the closed endorheic basin of Anáhuac?
Read the rest in Drift
Free · no account needed · Don't scroll. Drift.
🛶 A City Built on Mud
- 01The Basin of AnáhuacExplore the unique endorheic lake system at 2,240 meters high.
- 02Tenochtitlan: The Amphibious CityHow chinampas and dikes turned Lake Texcoco into a food machine.
- 03The Great Drain (El Desagüe)The catastrophic shift from living with water to fighting it.
- 04The Sinking MegacityThe geography of subsidence and the collapse of the clay foundation.
- 05The Thirsty ParadoxSurrounded by water legacy, yet starving for a drop to drink.