Rivers are positive feedback systems and, once established and dominan
t, tend to maintain and enhance that dominance. Thus, major rivers oug
ht to persist. Rivers, some 60 m.y. old (Eocene), that are extant and
have been continuously active since initiation have been identified in
Australia. Other rivers of equal or even greater antiquity, but with
slightly checkered chronologies, also persist in the landscape, as do
the ghosts of others. Rivers of similar antiquity occur in other Gondw
anan landscapes.