The entire Desaguadero and its tributaries conform what is known as the Basin of the Desaguadero, located over a geologic fault that separates the west from the Sierras Pampeanas. The basin consists of around 260,000 km², covering the Cuyo region almost completely, and the north of La Pampa Province.
Its tributaries being mainly ice-thaw-fed rivers from the Andes, the current of the Desaguadero is strongest in early summer. The section that separates Mendoza from San Luis is contained by 6- to 8-metre high ravines with a maximum width of over 50 metres, but due to the deviation of its waters for irrigation channels in the provinces of San Juan, Mendoza and San Luis, the section called Curacó currently has an extremely low level, providing practically no water to the Colorado.
Read more about this topic: Desaguadero River