River Channel

Processes.
2019
Long Profile of a
river.

A line drawn from

the source (starts)
to the mouth of
the river where it
meets the sea. It
is concave,
steeper in the hills
& gentler in
lowlands.
 Upper Course Middle Course Lower Course
Valley Steep sided Steep sided valley Widest river channel.
valley with a eroded & widen,
narrow floodplain begins to
channel. develop.
Landforms Waterfall, Meanders, river Levees, large meanders
lakes, cliffs. and floodplains
Long Profile potholes &
gorges.
of a river Erosion Vertical Attrition Lateral erosion
erosion by
hydraulic
action &
attrition.
Transportation Large Traction and Sand transported in
of load boulders suspended load suspension.
transported increases
  As a river flows along its course it undertakes 3 main processes
which help shape the river channel and its valley; Erosion,
Transporation and deposition.

What is river erosion?

The process by which water and sediment carried by a river
River deepens and widens the channel.

Processes The greater the discharge, the greater is the river’s energy.
Most erosion occurs when the river is at its bankfull stage, when
the stream is full and have high level of discharge.
 There are four main types of river erosion:
1. Attrition: particles of sediments or load of the river (e.g. bedload)
bump into each other and wear each other away.
As a result, river sediment becomes smaller and more rounded as
it is carried downstream.

2. Abrasion (corrasion) –A river uses its load of sediment to wear

River Erosion away its bed and banks. In uplands pebbles get caught in hollows
in the river bed, and as they swirl around the process of abrasion
produce a pothole.
Turbulence in the river
Channel causes the water
To swirl around

Abrassion occurs as the

Pebbles rub against the sides
Of the potholes, widening & Pebbles caught in the
deepening it pothole are swirled around
by the turbulence flow
3. Solution (corrosion) –The process of minerals in rocks being dissolve in
river water, e.g. Carbon dioxide dissolves in the river to form a weak acid.
This dissolves rock by chemical processes. This process is common where
carbonate rocks such as limestone and chalk are evident in a channel.

4. Hydraulic action-The direct force of the flowing river water can break
material from the bed and banks.

The force of the water hits river banks and then pushes water into cracks.
Air becomes compressed, pressure increases and the river bank may in
time collapse.

Where velocity is high, e.g. outer bank of a meander, hydraulic action

can remove material from the banks and lead to undercutting and river
bank collapse.

Near waterfalls and rapids, the force may be strong enough to work on
lines of weakness in joints and bedding planes until they are eroded.
River Erosion
 What?
River Transportation-

The type of transport taking place depends on:

River A) the size of sediment

Transportation B) the amount of energy available.

 River
Transportation
RIVER TRANSPORTATION:
(1) Suspension (suspended load) = Fine clay and sand particles are
carried along within the water even at low discharges.

(2) Saltation (saltated load)= Sand, gravels and small stones are
bounced along the river bed by the flow of water

(3) Traction (tracted load) = Boulders and pebbles are rolled along
the river bed at times of high discharge

(4) Solution (dissolved load) = Some minerals dissolve in water

such as calcium carbonate. This requires very little energy.
  Three types of river loads:
1. Bedload
Coarser rock material which a river drags along its bed by processes of
river transportation such as traction and saltation.
2. Suspension load

River loads It can consist of suspended bed material which is fine to medium
sands, which have come from the river bed. This material such as silts
and clays is light and can be held in suspension.

3. Solution load/dissolve load

 Dissolved load are the materials that are transported by the water
while in solution.
Types of load
  When occur?
 When the velocity of a river begins to fall, it has less energy and so no
longer has the competence or capacity to carry all its load.

 Starting with the largest particles, material begins to be deposited.

River What?
 Deposition-the progressive laying down of material carried by rivers,
Deposition ice, wind or marine currents and tides.

• Terms:
• Capacity- largest amount of debries that the river can carry for a given
velocity.
• Competence- diameter of the largest particles (size) that can be
carried by a river for a given velocity.