Oldest body of water in America is Susquehanna River
Otsego Lake in New York is the source of the Susquehanna River, world's oldest major river system
A body of water is a discrete, identifiable mass of water that occupies a specific geographic or geological space on Earth's surface, subsurface, or in the atmosphere. It is typically bounded (by land, rock, or other water) and cohesive as a unit, distinguishing it from diffuse moisture like rain or vapor.
The Susquehanna River is the oldest body of water of any kind in America. Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper acknowledges it as the oldest major river system in the world. A-Z Animals defines it as the oldest river in the United States. Oldest.org describes it as the oldest river in North America.
The Susquehanna River begins at the southern end of the Otsego Lake in Cooperstown, New York, and flows south for over 440 miles before emptying into the Chesapeake Bay.
The Susquehanna River is the longest non-navigable river in the US, the oldest major river system, and the largest river lying entirely within the United States that drains into the Atlantic Ocean.
It is also the longest river on the East Coast of the United States, stretching approximately 444 miles from its source to the Chesapeake Bay. It drains a watershed of about 27,500 square miles across parts of New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
The river has two main branches: The North Branch originates at Otsego Lake in Cooperstown, New York. The West Branch begins in the Allegheny Plateau of Pennsylvania. These branches converge near Northumberland, Pennsylvania, before the river flows south through Pennsylvania and Maryland.
The name "Susquehanna" comes from the Susquehannock people, a Native American tribe who lived along its banks. The river was a crucial transportation route for Indigenous peoples and later for European settlers.
During colonial times and the early United States, it served as an important corridor for trade and settlement, with canal systems built in the 19th century to facilitate commerce.
The Susquehanna provides about half of the fresh water, flowing into the Chesapeake Bay, making it critical to the bay's ecosystem and the blue crab, oyster, and fish populations there. The river supports diverse wildlife including bald eagles, river otters, and numerous fish species like smallmouth bass, shad, and recently restored American shad populations.
The river faces environmental challenges including agricultural runoff, urban pollution, and the legacy of industrial contamination. The Susquehanna has also experienced significant flooding events, most notably Hurricane Agnes in 1972 and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011, which caused devastating damage to riverside communities.
Note: The Pacific Ocean is the world's oldest ocean at 200 million years old. Lake Tahoe is the oldest lake in North America at 2.3 million years old. Chesapeake Bay is the oldest large body of seawater in America at 145 million years old. However, the Susquehanna River (along with the New River) is the oldest body of water in America at approximately 320 - 340 million years old.