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In Mallorca, Spain, there is a river called Torrent Son Bauló. As visible in the picture, it ends just before the sea, seemingly blocked by the beach. What can be the cause of that?

My guess is that the water is absorbed by the sand and flows into the sea through it, or that it doesn't have enough discharge and simply soaks into the ground and/or evaporates.

Also, are there any other rivers that behave similarly?

Rodrigo de Azevedo
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David Hás
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    For the second part of your question, see https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/q/20021/18081 – Jean-Marie Prival Apr 16 '22 at 19:26
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    https://www.google.com/maps/place/39°21'57.9"N+2°50'02.3"E/@39.36609,2.8339765,932m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x86f453b0e33f4dbd!8m2!3d39.3660833!4d2.8339722 suggests the river often ends further from the beach... would think on a small island with fairly limited rainfall (450 mm/17" per year) the waterways are pretty transient, and perhaps a mix with infiltrating under the beach, or even manmade enhancement (additional beach sand added to the small delta?) – JeopardyTempest Apr 17 '22 at 02:30

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Looking at the region in question via Google Earth, reveals the following scene.

enter image description here

Following the so called river past the major road, Carratera d'Artà reveals the so called river is derived from a very small water course, similar to a small creek.

The region of the "river" displayed in the question appears to be more like a lake or some form pond.

Based on this, I would suggest the Torrent Son Bauló is a very low flowing creek which does not have the capacity to break through the sand barrier imposed by the beach. Subsequently, the water in the "river" forms a pond/lake and the back side of the beach.

Fred
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    I guarantee that river water is "breaking through" the sand barrier, percolating through as groundwater. I'd even wager that the elevation of the river is likely controlled by the permeability of that sand. – Knob Scratcher Apr 19 '22 at 00:57