SurfaceWater

RunningWater
Runningwateristhemost
importantgeologicagentin
eroding,transportingand
depositingsediment
Nearlyeverylandscapeon
Earthshowstheresultsof
streamerosionordeposition

HydrologicCycle
Hydrologiccyclethemovementandinterchange
ofwaterbetweenthesea,air,andland
Evaporation
Solarradiationprovidesenergy

Precipitation
Rainorsnow

Transpiration
Evaporationfromplants

Runoff
Waterflowingoverlandsurface

Infiltration
Watersoakingintotheground

RunningWater
Streamabodyofrunningwater,

confinedtoachannel,thatrunsdownhill
undertheinfluenceofgravity
Headwatersupperpartofstreamnearits
sourceinthemountains
Mouthplacewhereastreamenterssea,
lakeorlargerstream
Channelalong,narrowdepressioneroded
byastreamintorockorsediment
Streambankssidesofchannel
Streambedbottomofthechannel
Floodplainflatvalleyfloorcomposedof
sedimentdepositedbythestream

InsertrevisedFig.10.2

DrainageBasins
Drainagebasinthe

totalareadrainedbya
streamanditstributaries
Tributaryasmallstream
flowinginto
alargerone

Divideridgeorhigh

groundthatdividesone
drainagebasinfrom
another
ContinentalDivideseparates
thestreamsthatflowinto
thePacificfromthosethat
flowintotheAtlanticand
GulfofMexico

DrainagePatterns

Drainagepatternthearrangement,inmapview,ofa
streamanditstributaries
Mosttributariesjointhemainstreamatanacute
angle,formingaVorYpointingdownstream
Dendriticdrainagepatternresemblingthebranches
ofatree
Radialpatternstreamsdivergeoutwardlikethe
spokesofawheel
Typicallyformonconicalmountains(volcanoes)
Rectangularpatterntributarieshavefrequent90
bendsandjoinotherstreamsatrightangles
Trellispatternparallelstreamswithshorttributaries
meetingatrightangles

StreamErosion
Streamerosion(anddeposition)controlledby
flowvelocityanddischarge
Streamvelocitycontrolledbystreamgradient
(slope),channelshapeandchannelroughness
Maximumvelocitynearcenterofchannel
Floodsinvolveincreasedvelocityand
discharge(volumeofwaterpassinga
particularpointinastreamovertime)
Higherstreamvelocitiespromoteerosionand
transportofcoarsersediments
Erosionofverysmallparticlesdifficultdue
tomolecularbindingforces

StreamErosion
Streamgradientisthedownhillslopeofthestreambed
TypicallymeasuredinfeetpermileintheU.S.,andinmeters
perkilometerelsewhere
Usuallydecreasesdownstream

Channelshapeandroughness

Botheffectstreamvelocityduetodrag
Narrower,deeperchannelsallowfasterflow
Smootherchannelsallowfasterflow
Wider,shallowerchannelsdecreaseflowspeed
Rougherchannelsdecreaseflowspeed

Streamdischargeisthevolumeofwaterflowingpasta
givenpointinaunitoftime

StreamErosion
Streamscuttheirownvalleys,deepeningand
wideningthemovertimeandcarryingawaythe
sediment
Streamerosionoccursbythreemechanisms:
hydraulicaction,solution,andabrasion
Hydraulicactionabilityofflowingwaterto
pickupandmoverockandsediment
Solutiondissolvingofrocks(e.g.,limestone)
Abrasiongrindingawayofstreamchannel
bythefrictionandimpactofthesedimentload
Potholesareerodedintostreambedbythe
abrasiveactionofthesedimentloadinthestream

SedimentDeposition
Sedimentsaretemporarilydeposited
alongstreamcourseasbarsand
floodplaindeposits,andat/nearitsend
asdeltasoralluvialfans
Barsridgesofsediment(usuallysand
orgravel)depositedinthemiddleor
alongthesidesofastream
Braidedstreamscontainsedimentdeposited
asnumerousbarsaroundwhichwaterflows
inhighlyinterconnectedrivulets

SedimentDeposition

Meanderingstreamsflowfasteralongtheoutsideof
bendsandmoreslowlyalongtheinside,depositing
pointbarsontheinsidesofthemeanders

Meandercutoffsmayformwhenanew,shorterchannel
iscutthroughthenarrowneckof
ameander(asduringaflood)

SedimentDeposition
Floodplainsarebroadstripsof
landbuiltupbysedimentationon
eithersideofastreamchannel
Floodplainsedimentsareleftbehind
asfloodwatersslowandrecedeat
theendoffloodevents
Mainchannelhasslightlyraised
bankswithrespecttothefloodplain
knownasnaturallevees

SedimentDeposition
Deltabodyofsediment
depositedatthemouthof
ariverwhenflowvelocity
decreases
Surfacemarkedbyshifting
distributarychannels
Shapeofadeltadepends
onwhetheritswave
dominated,tidedominated,
orstreamdominated

Flooding
Whenwaterlevelsriseandovertop
thebanksofariver,floodingoccurs
Naturalprocessonallrivers
Describedbyrecurrenceintervals
A100yearfloodis,onaverage,the
sizeofthelargestfloodwithina100
yearperiodoftime

Cancausegreatdamageinheavily
populatedareas
Highvelocityandlargevolumeof
watercausesflooderosion
Slowingofwatersasfloodendscauses
flooddeposits(usuallyofsiltorclay
sizedparticles)tobedepositedinthe
floodplain

Flooding
Urbanflooding
Pavedareasandstormsewers
increaserunoffbyinhibiting
infiltration
Rapiddeliveryofwatertostreams
increasespeakdischargeand
hastensoccurrenceofflood

Flashfloods
Local,suddenfloodsoflarge
volumeandshortduration
Typicallytriggeredbyheavy
thunderstorms

Flooding

Floodcontrol
Damsdesignedtotrapfloodwatersin
reservoirsupstreamandreleaseit
graduallyovertime
Artificialleveesdesignedtoincrease
capacityofriverchannel
Workswelluntilstreamovertops
artificiallyraisedlevees,leadingto
extremelyrapidfloodinganderosion
Wiselanduseplanning,including
preventionofbuildingwithin100year
floodplains,ismosteffective