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ALLUVIAL/FLUVIAL. I. Intro. A. fluvial seds largely classified into 3 dep. environments 1. alluvial 2. braided rivers 3. meandering rivers. http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/geology/historical_lab/sedenvirons.htm. II. Alluvial Fans. A. cone or apron shaped B. form in high relief areas
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I. Intro • A. fluvial seds largely classified into 3 dep. environments • 1. alluvial • 2. braided rivers • 3. meandering rivers • http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~pgore/geology/historical_lab/sedenvirons.htm
II. Alluvial Fans • A. cone or apron shaped • B. form in high relief areas • C. Common in arid (Death Valley) and semiarid regions
D. alluvial from Latin "to wash against" vs. fluvial (Latin "river") • E. Bajada = a group of coalesced fans. • F. Role of flow expansion - flow unrestricted coming out of canyon, it widens leading to shallowing of flow which reduces velocity. Sedimentation occurs http://www.agc.army.mil/research/products/desert_guide/lsmsheet/lsbajad.htm
Note Main Alluival Channel • French Pyrenees, decreased velocities as channel mouth widens lead to deposition
C streamflow episodic, occurs during flood • D debris flow common in arid/semiarid regions • E mudflow-mostly sand and finer seds • F. landslides-rk falls, slumps, etc
III. Depositional processes • A debris flow, mudflow, landslides, streamflow • B streamflow dominates; deposits • 1.elongate channels, coarse. & p. sorted • 2. sheet flood- thin, w. sorted, structureless/ or laminated gravel, sand or silt • 3. Sieve deposits-gravel lobes; clay
Streamflow • southern border of the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang . NASA
pr.water.usgs.gov/public/reports/matt.html Debris flow deposits on alluvial fan, Los Corales sector of Caraballeda, Vargas, Venezuela. Structure in foreground is tiled rooftop of one-story house, July 2000
Debris flow deposit • A little scarp cut into the surface of the debris flow shows the finer grained material that makes up the bulk of the debris flow. The coarsening of the material at the surface of the fan is probably in part due to post-depositional winnowing of fine grains as well as some original coarse-tail coarsening in the original debris flow. usgs http://faculty.gg.uwyo.edu/heller/
Sheet flood Surface of ancient flood sheet (1250 BP by radiocarbon on detrital wood). Quebrada Rio Seco de Casma, Peru, 1985. geoimages.berkeley.edu/.../geomorph/flood1.html
IV) Alluvial fan sediments • A cone-shaped, anastomozing channels • B concave upward radial profile, cross-section=lens shaped
C fan consists of: • 1. upper fan or proximal fan-steep, coarse seds, entrenched channels, debris flows • 2. mid fan-less gradient, seds fine, branching shallow channels • 3. distal fan- low gradients, fine seds, poorly defined channels
Fan Terminology • geology.cwru.edu/~huwig/catalog/catalog.html http://faculty.gg.uwyo.edu/heller/
A. Has a lower slope gradient B. Sediment is intermediate in size and typically better sorted C. Sediments are well stratified and show some cross bedding D. Contains many small shallow braided channels surrounding one main (axial) channel (see photo on right) V. Mid Fan
V. Mid Fan • E. Sieve lobe deposits form at the intersection point of the fan (usually upper mid fan)
A.Gentle slope gradient B.Deposition of finer grained sediments C Deposits merge with sediments on basin floor D. More development of sedimentary structures VI. Distal Fan
Where on Fan? Interior of an alluvial fan
Distal Fan • These deposits exhibit better sorting and may show low angle cross stratification and/or trough stratification • Fining upward sequences frequently indicate inactivity of depositional processes Fining upward sequence in an alluvial fan
D thickening and coarsening upward sequence • E inactive fan-thin and fine upward • F fan deposits up to 1000s m
I) Rivers • A. 4 types: • 1. braided • 2. anastomosing • 3. straight to near straight • 4. meandering
I) Meandering Rivers • A. higher sinuosity, • B. less gradients, finer seds • C elements • 1. main channel • 2. pt. bars • 3. levees • 4. floodplain • 5. oxbow lake • 6. abandoned meander cut-off • Allen, 1964
Meandering vs. Braided www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/1121Lxr28.html
http://faculty.gg.uwyo.edu/heller/Sed%20Strat%20Class/Sedstrat4/sedlect_4.htmhttp://faculty.gg.uwyo.edu/heller/Sed%20Strat%20Class/Sedstrat4/sedlect_4.htm Side-looking radar (SLAR) image of the flood plain between the Rio Japurá and Rio Solimoes (Amazon River basin), taken in 1971/1972. Flow is towards the lower right. Note the many scroll bars marking the former positions of channels (point bars) across the flood plain. Note these are large rivers with very large meander wavelengths, so that scorsll bars are also very large. SLAR does not see vegetation, overwise this view would only show rain forest. Río Socopo flowing off eastern slope of Venezuelan Andes. View is up river (towards WNW Photo ). Octover 24, 1984. Note point bars along inner bends. The channel belt is defined as the region between the red lines wihtin which the active channel tends to meander. from R.H. Meade, USGS
D channel flow • 1. lateral shifting of currents = helical flow • E current velocity highest along outer bank, • 1. bank undercutting, deepening of channel • 2. coarse lag deposit • 3. remaining sed accreted to pt. bar
Fig. 4.23: Highway 44, one of the main routes into Albuquerque (New Mexico, USA) was built in 1969. Part of the project involved the necessity to straighten a section of the upper Rio Puerco River which then flowed parallel to the highway.Fig. 4.24: This photograph taken in 1986 some 17 years after the channel straightening work. It shows how the Rio Puerco, which was perfectly straight in 1969, has now started to meander and threaten to undermine Highway 44 alongside it. In retrospect, it may not have seemed such a good idea to straighten it in the first place! Dr Tim Stott
F. overbank deposition during floodstage-f. sand/silts-levees, floodplain, oxbow lakes • G. crevasse splays
H sediment deposition in: • 1. main channel • 2. pt. bar • 3. natural levees • 4. flood basin • 5. oxbow lake & meander chute
I channel deposits • 1. coarse lag material deposited during flood stage • 2. gravels and mud chunks • 3. indistinct bedding, thin and discontinuous deposits
J pt. bar deposits • 1. sand over gravels • 2. w/helical flow & flood stage, water & sed transported up pt. bar • 3. velocity decrease up pt. bar, therefore, coarse seds at lower pt. bars, finer grains in upper part • 4. dune bed forms in lower portion, ripples in upper portion • 5. trough x-beds • 6. x-beds have variable dip but altogether dip downstream
Example of Point Bar Deposits • Sebaskachu River, Labrador • shows well developed point bars as it flows across a wide floodplain
http://faculty.gg.uwyo.edu/heller/Sed%20Strat%20Class/Sedstrat4/sedlect_4.htmhttp://faculty.gg.uwyo.edu/heller/Sed%20Strat%20Class/Sedstrat4/sedlect_4.htm
Point Bar Sequence • O shifting of river, get stacked lateral environments • P lag deposits overlain by fining upward pt. bar sequence Lynn S. Fichter
K natural levee deposits • 1. thick and coarsest near bank, fine and thin into flood basin • 2. ripples and planar laminated seds overlain by laminated mud
L flood plain deposits • 1. fines settling from suspension, plant debris, may be bioturbated • M crevasse splay • 1. traction and suspension deposition, may be graded • N oxbow lake deposits • 1. infilled by silt and mud through overbank deposition,laminated, ostracods and fresh water molluscs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meander Rio Cauto, Cuba
Crevasse splay deposits • Lobate in shape • Deposit sand and silt • Sed from traction and suspension • Get coarse bedload and fines forming graded beds • Lobes spread onto floodplain with fingers of sand extending beyond the main lobe • Deep crevasses may tap into lower levels of main channel • allows coarser sediment to escape on floodplain http://faculty.gg.uwyo.edu/heller Bryants Creek, MO
Flood Plain Deposits • Composed of: • Predominately fine grain material • Which escape through flooding • Plant debris and bioturbation
Oxbow Lakes • Sections of the channel become cut-off • Silt and mud from channel during overbank flood • Laminated with plant debris
II) Ancient example • A) lower part of Devonian Old Red S.S. of Wales and England
Meander Sequence http://www.geo.umn.edu/courses/4602/Spring01/Slide_List_2.html Devonian Catskill Fm, NY Tertiary Caspe Formation, Spain