Mama (river)

The Mama (Мама) is a river in Irkutsk Oblast and Buryatia, Russia. It is a left tributary of the Vitim, the second largest in basin area after the Tsipa. The river has a length of 211 km and a drainage basin of 18900 km2. The total length of the river including the Left Mama is 406 km.

The Mamsko-Chuysky District of Irkutsk Oblast is named after rivers Mama and Chuya. The settlements of Bramya, Slyudyanka, Lugovsky, Zarya and Mama are located by the river.

Course
The river basin is located on the slopes and foothills of the Upper Angara Range. Rivers Left Mama (Levaya Mama) and Right Mama (Pravaya Mama), which form the Mama river, have their sources in the heights of the range, at 1720 m the first and at about 1900 m the second. They are fast-flowing mountain rivers, with rapids and waterfalls. After the confluence the Mama flows roughly northeastwards across a fragmented floodplain slightly meandering among rocky banks. The river is navigable downstream from the confluence of the Bramya, a small tributary. Finally the Mama meets the lower course of the Vitim 171 km from its mouth in the Lena.

The river is located in an area marked by permafrost. Most of the territory adjacent to the river is covered by larch taiga and Siberian pine in the upper reaches, crowned by golets bare summits. The main tributaries of the Mama are the 153 km long Konkudera, the 48 km long Kaverga and the 40 km long Bolshoi Ugli.