Unit 3 Lecture Slides Geological Work of RIVER PDF

29-09-2019
UNIT 3
River
Disclaimer: This presentation is prepared only for the understanding of the students about the Geological processes by River. Sources: Research gate, books and google.com: DR. ATUL KUMAR PATIDAR -2018
RIVER & ASSOCIATED

LANDFORMS • Running water is the most important agent of erosion on the
continents and the stream valleys are the most common landforms.
Fluvial Geomorphology
• Rivers flowing to the oceans drain about 68% of the Earth's land
surface. The remainder of the land either is covered by ice or drains to
closed basins.
• The erosional work of streams/ rivers, carves and shapes the

landscape through which they flow. Important functions of rivers-
a.Erosion (Velocity, strength of the bed rock, sediment load, gradient)

b.Transportation (Bed load, suspended load, and dissolved load)
DR. ATUL KUMAR PATIDAR
2019 c.Deposition (Delta, Alluvial fans, Flood plains and natural levees)
Disclaimer: This presentation is prepared only for the understanding of the students about the Geological processes by
River. Sources are from Research gate, books and google.com.
Disclaimer: This presentation is prepared only for the understanding of the students about the Geological processes by River. Sources: Research gate, books and google.com: DR. ATUL KUMAR PATIDAR -2018 Disclaimer: This presentation is prepared only for the understanding of the students about the Geological processes by River. Sources: Research gate, books and google.com: DR. ATUL KUMAR PATIDAR -2018
Outline
No. Agent Processes/ features Drainage Basins
1 River Erosion process • Corrosion/ Disolution- Chemical erosion
• Abrasive action - Mechanical erosion
• Hydraulic action
2 Rate of Erosion • Based on river velocity • Drainage basin - the total area
• Strength of the bed rock drained by a stream and its
• Sediment load
• Gradiant
tributaries.
– Tributary - a small stream flowing
3 Formation of River valley • Deepening of river valley
Physical process • Lengthening into a larger one Stream Order
• Widening
4 Drainage basin and stream • Patterns: Dendritic, Radial , Rectangular, • Divide - ridge or high ground
patterns Trellis
5 Transportation by river Dissolved load, Bed load, Suspended load
that divides one drainage basin
from another
6 Sediment deposition and • Delta,
associated features • Alluvial fans,
• Flood Plains Drainage
• Levees, Point bars Basin
Parts of River Running Water

Stream - a body of running water, confined to a channel, that runs
downhill under the influence of gravity
• Tributary : a stream flowing into or joining a larger stream – Headwaters - upper part of stream near its source in the mountains
• Distributary : numerous stream branches into which a river – Mouth - place where a stream enters sea, lake or larger stream
divides • Channel - a long, narrow depression eroded by a stream into rock or sediment
• Upstream : moves toward headwater (up the regional slope • Stream banks - sides of channel
of erosion) • Stream bed – channel bottom
• Downstream : moves toward mouth of river (delta)
• Delta : a large, roughly triangular body of sediment deposited
at the mouth of a river
• Meander : a broad, looping bend in a river
• Braided : river is divided into multiple channels by alluvial
islands. Braided rivers tend to have steeper gradients
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Stream Erosion Rate of

Stream Erosion
Streams cut their own valleys, deepening and
widening them over time and carrying away the • Stream erosion (and deposition)
sediment
controlled by flow velocity and
Three mechanisms for Stream erosion: discharge
• Hydraulic action- Running water causes – Stream velocity controlled by stream
friction in the joints of rocks in a stream gradient (slope),
channel, Joints may be enlarged
– channel shape
– Strength of the bed rock
• Solution- Certain minerals in rock can
dissolve in water (e.g. Limestone) • Maximum velocity near center of channel
• Abrasion- Load carried by a river will grind

• Higher stream velocities promote
against its bed and sides (impact of the erosion and transport of coarser
sediment load). sediments.
Potholes are eroded into streambed by the abrasive
action of the sediment load in the stream
Rate of stream Erosion Drainage Patterns

Uniform
erosion
Drainage pattern - the arrangement, in
• Stream gradient is the downhill slope of the streambed map view, of a stream and its tributaries
– Typically measured in feet per mile in the U.S., and in meters per
kilometer elsewhere Most tributaries join the main stream at an
– Usually decreases downstream acute angle (forming a V or Y) Domes,
Anticlines
• Channel shape and roughness Dendritic- drainage pattern resembling the
– Both effect stream velocity due to drag branches of a tree.
– Narrower, deeper channels allow faster flow Basement
Radial pattern- streams diverge outward like
– Smoother channels allow faster flow Joints and
the spokes of a wheel. (Typically form on conical fractures
– Wider, shallower channels decrease speed mountains, volcanoes)
– Rougher channels decrease flow speed
Rectangular pattern- tributaries have
• Stream discharge is the volume of water flowing past a frequent 90° bends and join other streams at
given point in a unit of time right angles Axial valley,
Synclines
Trellis pattern- parallel streams with short

tributaries meeting at right angles
Sediment Transportation Rivers Transportation

Sediment load transported by a stream can be subdivided into bed load, suspended load,
Transportation: Various processes of sediment transportation by river.
and dissolved load
• Bed load - large or heavy particles that travel on the streambed No Process Sediment types/ actions
– Traction load - large particles that travel along the streambed by rolling, sliding or 1 Traction Larger and heavier rocks/gravels are dragged or rolled along the bed.
dragging
– Saltation load - medium particles (typically sand-sized) that travel downstream by 2 Saltation Smaller and lighter rock fragments and sand hop and bounce along the
bouncing along - sometimes in contact with the streambed and sometimes suspended river bed.
in the flowing water At times, the distinction between traction and saltation may be difficult
to determine.
•Suspended load - sediment that is 3 Suspension • Some of the load like silt and clay (fine-grained) will float along.
small/light enough to remain above
• They may only be deposited when stream velocity reaches near.
the stream bottom by turbulent flow
for an indefinite period of time • Turbulence in the water is crucial in holding a load of sediments.
4 Solution • Some minerals are transported in dissolved form.
•Dissolved load - dissolved ions • Especially chemical solution derived from minerals like limestone or
produced by chemical weathering of dolomite.
soluble minerals upstream
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Deposition of Sediments Sediment

and associated features Deposition
• Sediments are temporarily deposited

along stream course as bars and
floodplain deposits, and at the end
its end as deltas or alluvial fans
• Bars - ridges of sediment (usually

sand or gravel) deposited in the
middle or along the sides of a stream
Meander cut-offs “oxbow”

Sediment Deposition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a3r-cG8Wic
• Meandering streams flow faster along the Insert Fig. 10.20

outside of bends and more slowly along the
inside, depositing point bars on the insides
of the meanders
• Meander cutoffs may form when a new,

shorter channel is cut through the narrow
neck of a meander (as during a flood)
Sediment Deposition Levees Flood plains
Floodplains are broad Floodplain - flat valley floor composed of sediment deposited by the stream
strips of land built up by
sedimentation on either
side of a stream channel
– Floodplain sediments are
left behind as flood
waters slow and recede
at the end of flood events
– Main channel has Before Flooding After Flooding

slightly raised banks with (August 14, 1991) (November 7, 1993)
respect to the floodplain
known as natural levees Mississippi River spill over into floodplain.
green = vegetation, red = recently plowed fields (bare soil)
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Sediment Deposition Sediment Deposition

• Delta - body of sediment • Alluvial fan - large, fan- or cone-shaped pile of sediment that
deposited at the mouth of forms where stream velocity decreases as it emerges from a
narrow mountain canyon onto a flat plain
a river when flow velocity
– Well-developed in desert regions,
decreases – Larger fans show grading from large sediments nearest the mountains to
finer sediments farther away
– Surface marked by shifting

distributary channels
– Shape of a delta depends

on whether its
– wave-dominated,
– tide-dominated,
– stream-dominated
Flooding Stream Valley Development

• Downcutting
• When water levels rise and overtop – Process of deepening a valley by erosion of the
the banks of a river, flooding occurs streambed
– Natural process on all rivers – V-shaped valleys typically form from downcutting
combined with mass wasting and sheet erosion
– Can cause great damage in heavily
populated areas – Streams cannot erode below their base level
• Basel level can be sea level, a lake, or the bottom of
a closed basin (e.g., Death Valley, CA)
– High velocity and large volume of water • Downcutting rate can be rapid if a stream is well
causes flood erosion above base level (e.g., Grand Canyon, AZ)
– Slowing of waters as flood ends causes
flood deposits (usually of silt or clay-
sized particles)
– to be deposited in the floodplain
Stream Valley Development Stream Valley Development

• Stream terraces • Incised meanders
– Step-like landforms found above a – Retain sinuous pattern as they
stream and its floodplain cut vertically downward
– Occurs when river rapidly cuts – May be produced by profound
downward into its own floodplain base level changes, as when
– Represents relatively sudden rapid tectonic uplift occurs
change from deposition to erosion
– Can be caused by rapid uplift,
drops in base level, or climate
changes
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29-09-2019
Thank you
Braided Rivers Meandering Pattern

Unit 3 Lecture Slides Geological Work of RIVER PDF

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29-09-2019

RIVER & ASSOCIATED

• The erosional work of streams/ rivers, carves and shapes the

a.Erosion (Velocity, strength of the bed rock, sediment load, gradient)

Parts of River Running Water

Stream Erosion Rate of

• Abrasion- Load carried by a river will grind

Rate of stream Erosion Drainage Patterns

Trellis pattern- parallel streams with short

Sediment Transportation Rivers Transportation

Deposition of Sediments Sediment

• Sediments are temporarily deposited

• Bars - ridges of sediment (usually

Meander cut-offs “oxbow”

• Meandering streams flow faster along the Insert Fig. 10.20

• Meander cutoffs may form when a new,

Sediment Deposition Levees Flood plains

– Main channel has Before Flooding After Flooding

Sediment Deposition Sediment Deposition

– Surface marked by shifting

– Shape of a delta depends

Flooding Stream Valley Development

– to be deposited in the floodplain

Stream Valley Development Stream Valley Development

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