GEOS 251

Physical Geology

Spring 2012

Streams: Transport to the Oceans

(Chapter 18)

Overview
The surface water part of the hydrologic cycle is the most important process for moving materials in the surface environment groundwater moves dissolved constituents (into streams), glaciers are important in cold regions; streams are significant in many regions, as is wind, and wind along with water is major in deserts The nature of streams is an interplay between their capacity to move material and the amount available. Some areas cut down (capacity exceeds sediment load): some areas build up (capacity less than sediment load): and some areas are in approximate steady state (capacity ~ load)

Transportprocessesin streams
Capacity is the ability to carry material; load is the amount of sediment that the stream is moving at any given time Capacity increases with velocity and total flow, thus steeper (and faster) streams and highvolume streams (or ones at flood stage) have higher capacity Transport mechanisms materials are carried in solution as dissolved load, as suspended load (fine material kept in the water column by turbulence), and as bed load (materials move along bed of stream by rolling or sliding, or by hopping in the process called saltation) Erosion by streams takes place by abrasion along the bottom

Streamsshapesand associatedsediments
A stream profile is the topography of the stream along its path; most are concave upwards, i.e., steep in the upper parts leveling out to flat at their bottoms; the bottom of the stream profile is the base level Stream shapes vary with capacity versus load: downcutting streams can be straight or incised (superimposed) as they carry away more material than is brought in; meandering streams move back and forth across the flood plain as they continually rework earlier deposited material, gradually moving it downstream; where the load is higher than capacity (in glacial regions or regions with intermittent flow), one finds braided streams and alluvial fans; another case is where velocity decreases dramatically entering large bodies of water leading to deltas Terraces are earlier flood plains into which the valley has been cut; levees form along the margins of channels; both have close links to the sedimentary record sands form in channels and along point bars of meandering streams, muds are deposited in overbank deposits; deltas have a similar mix, but with different geometries and more mud to sand Variability in discharge is fairly predictable (flood frequency); because of the high flow rate, floods carry far more material than at normal flow rates

Lecture 16

8 March 2012

GEOS 251

Physical Geology

Spring 2012

Drainagepatternsand basins(watersheds)
Drainage patterns reflect the bedrock and topography (radial, trellis, dendritic) and may be superimposed, particularly where base level lowers and drainages are incised

Review and Next Class

ALSO SEE SUMMARY AND REVIEW AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER Read Chapter 19 on Winds and Deserts

Lecture 16

8 March 2012