Knowra Fluvial processes Fluvial processes Fluvial processes are the erosion, transport, and deposition of sediment by flowing water. They shape river channels, floodplains, and sedimentary landforms.
Hydraulic action : Erosion caused by the force of moving water acting on a channel or riverbank. Water pressure loosens material from beds and banks, beginning sediment movement.
Stream : A body of flowing surface water confined within a channel. Fluvial processes operate through the movement of water in streams and rivers.
Meander : A sinuous bend in a river channel that migrates through erosion and deposition. Unequal erosion and deposition across bends continually reshape channels.
Aeolian processes : The erosion, transport, and deposition of sediment by wind. Wind moves sediment through processes analogous to fluvial transport, but with different physical limits.
River avulsion : The rapid abandonment of a river channel in favor of a new course across its floodplain. Sediment buildup can raise channels until flow shifts into a lower route.
Abrasion (geology) : The wearing away of rock by particles carried in moving water, ice, or wind. River-borne sediment scours channel surfaces as it travels.
Discharge (hydrology) : The volume of water flowing past a cross-section per unit time. Discharge influences flow energy and the amount of sediment a channel can carry.
Oxbow lake : A crescent-shaped lake formed when a river meander is cut off from its channel. Meander migration and cutoff create this isolated remnant of a former channel.
Glacial processes : The erosion, transport, and deposition of material by glaciers and moving ice. Glaciers transport sediment without the flow conditions that govern rivers.
Flood : An overflow of water that submerges land normally above water. Floods greatly increase erosion, sediment transport, and deposition beyond channel banks.
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