Natural diversion of the ramu river in papua new guinea

Abstract

At present, the Ramu River in Papua New Guinea flows directly into the Bismarck Sea, while the adjacent Keram flows into the Sepik River. There is evidence to suggest that the Ramu previously occupied the existing Keram water course, and has been gradually diverting its discharge into its present channel, probably over the last 4,000 years. The diversion process is not complete yet, and during the wet season flood water still travels across these two rivers. The most direct evidence to support this proposal of river diversion is that there are much larger meander bends on which the existing Keram stream channel is superimposed. The diversion of the Ramu is believed to be a result of relative sea-level rise in the late Quaternary which altered the gradients of the Keram and Ramu rivers, and may have been facilitated through neo-tectonic movement of the floodplain.