Fluvial erosion

Fluvial erosion is the removal and transport of rock and sediment by flowing water. It reshapes river channels and landscapes through hydraulic force and the movement of sediment.

Hydraulic action: Erosion caused when moving water and compressed air dislodge material from a riverbed or bank. Water pressure and trapped air loosen material directly from channel surfaces.
Discharge (hydrology): The volume of water passing a cross-section of a river per unit time. Greater discharge can increase the force available to erode a channel.
River incision: The downward cutting of a river into its bed, lowering the channel over time. It is the vertical expression of fluvial erosion in a channel.
River valley: An elongated depression shaped by river processes, often bounded by slopes or cliffs. Long-term river erosion can deepen and widen valleys.
Abrasion: The wearing of rock surfaces by particles carried in moving water or ice. Sediment dragged along a channel scrapes and grinds its bed and banks.
Shear stress: The tangential force per unit area exerted by flowing water on a surface. Bed shear stress helps determine whether channel material can be dislodged.
Meander: A bend in a river channel that migrates as erosion and deposition reshape its banks. Outer-bank erosion drives the lateral growth and migration of bends.
Waterfall: A steep drop in a river's course where water flows over a rock step or cliff. Differential erosion can create and migrate waterfall steps.
Attrition: The rounding and size reduction of sediment as particles collide during transport. River-carried clasts collide, producing smaller and rounder pieces available for further erosion.
Critical shear stress: The threshold bed shear stress at which sediment particles begin to move. Erosion and sediment entrainment depend on whether flow exceeds this threshold.

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