The Tercero River ( es, Río Tercero, 'Third River'), also known as Ctalamochita, is the river in Córdoba Province of Argentina. It originates in the

Sierras de Córdoba The Sierras de Córdoba is a mountain range in central Argentina, located between the Pampas to the east and south and the Chaco to the north and east. Most of the range is located in Córdoba Province, except for the southwestern margin whi ...

near Cerro Champaquí and Calamuchita Valley, in an area of annual precipitation of between . Leaving the valley, it reaches the plains where four dams have been constructed, called Cerro Pelado Dam, Arroyo Corto Dam, Embalse Río Tercero — with built in 1936 — and Piedras Moras, which serve as flow regulators and produce

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

. The reservoirs created by the dams are also used for tourism and recreation, including water sports and fishing. It has a water flow of , and flows before reaching the

Carcarañá River The Carcarañá River (Spanish, Arroyo Saladillo or Río Saladillo) is a river in Argentina. It begins at the confluence of the Río Tercero and the Saladillo River (the lower course of the Río Cuarto) in the south-east of the province of Córd ...

. The river navigable for small- to medium-sized boats as it flows through the plains. It flows eastward into the

Humid Pampas The Humid Pampas ( es, Pampa Húmeda) is an extensive ecoregion of flat, fertile grassland of loessic origin in Argentina. It has a precipitation average of 900 mm per year, in contrast with the Dry Pampas to the west, which average less than ...

, which has an average rainfall of per year. It joins the

Saladillo River The Saladillo River is a river of Argentina. See also *List of rivers of Argentina This is a list of rivers of Argentina. Longest Rivers By drainage basin This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries indented under e ...

(also called the Cuarto River) to form the

, a tributary of the

Paraná River The Paraná River ( es, Río Paraná, links=no , pt, Rio Paraná, gn, Ysyry Parana) is a river in south-central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some ."Parana River". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Br ...

. Among the most important cities on the path of the Tercero are Río Tercero, Villa María, Villa Nueva,

Bell Ville Bell Ville is a city in center-south of the province of Córdoba, Argentina, located 200 km southeast from the capital Córdoba City, on the intersection of National Route 9 and Provincial Route 3 with the Córdoba– Rosario–Bu ...

and Leones. The word ''Ctalamochita'' (from which the term ''Calamuchita'' derives) seems to be a mixture of the

Native America The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples. Many Indigenous peoples of the Am ...

n term ''ctala'' or ''tala'', meaning "important tree", and a deformation of the Spanish ''mucho'' or ''muchito'', finally meaning "area of many trees". The name ''Tercero'' became more common since the 18th century, being the third of five rivers counting from Córdoba city. Of them, the Tercero and the Cuarto (fourth) are the only ones to reach, indirectly, the Paraná River, being therefore tributaries to the

Río de la Plata Basin The Río de la Plata basin ( es, Cuenca del Plata, pt, Bacia do Prata), more often called the River Plate basin in scholarly writings, sometimes called the Platine basin or Platine region, is the hydrographical area in South America that drain ...

Bridges

The river has the following bridges from ''Piedras Moras'' dum to the

: * Piedras Moras Dum Bridge (in Almafuerte). * 6th State Road Bridge (in Rio Tercero). * East Bridge (in Rio Tercero). * Los Potreros Bridge (in the countryside 32° 9'3.98"S 64° 1'38.86"O). * West Bridge (in Villa Ascasubi). * East Bridge (in Villa Asasubi). * 10th State Road Bridge (in Pampayasta). * Andinian Bridge (in Villa Maria). * Velez Sarsfield Bridge (in Villa Maria - Villa Nueva). * 4th State Road Bridge (in Villa Maria - Villa Nueva). * Black Bridge (in Villa Maria - Villa Nueva). * 2nd State Road Bridge (in Villa Nueva). * Carcano Bridge (in Ramon J. Carcano). * Ballesteros Bridge (in Ballesteros). * Morrison Bridge (in Morrison). * Paso de la Arena Pedestrian Bridge (in Bell Ville). * Colon Bridge (in Bell Ville). * Bus Station Pedestrian Bridge (in Bell Ville). * Italia Bridge (in Bell Ville). * Colombia Pedestrian Bridge (in Bell Ville). * Falcato Pedestrian Bridge (in Bell Ville). * Bridge of he History (in Bell Ville). * Monte Leña Bridge (in Monte Leña). * San Marcos West Bridge (in the countryside 32°39'32.94"S 62°31'31.22"O). * San Marcos East Bridge (in the countryside 32°41'51.42"S 62°28'54.82"O).

References

{{Reflist Rivers of Argentina Tributaries of the Paraná River Rivers of Córdoba Province, Argentina