Processes of River Erosion, Transport, and Deposition
Compiled by Mark Francek (more info) at Carleton College (SERC) and Central Michigan University
Find animations showing processes of river erosion, transport and deposition.
Saltation Closeup, Kansas State University (more info) : This QuickTime movie illustrates stream bed load transport. The process of saltation is especially apparent. Note how the collision of one grain will set another into motion. Because the animation can be paused and rewound, it is easy to view saltation.
Modes of Sediment Transport, McGraw Hill: A Flash animation shows the various forms of stream sediment transport like sliding, rolling, saltation, suspension, and dissolved load. Access the animation by clicking on the " Modes of Sediment Transport" link.
Stream Deposition Patterns, Exploring Earth (more info) : This Flash animation reveals deposition patterns associated with a river flowing into a lake. Gravel is deposited closest to shore, with sand and clay sized sediments laid down with decreasing flow velocities. Note that individual clay particles (which are visible in this animation) are too small to be seen without a powerful microscope.
Sediment Video Movies, University of Wyoming (more info) : Find 25 QuickTime movies using actual film footage capturing a variety of deposition patterns including ripples, planar bed, ripples, debris flows, and turbidity currents. The migration of sand bars along the Loup River of Nebraska is especially worthwhile. Movies are quite large, ranging from 2 Mb to 30 Mb in size.
Sand Bar Migration, University of Wyoming (more info) : This QuickTime movie uses actual time lapse video to capture the migration of submerged sand bars along the Loup River of Nebraska. The authors highlight bar crests in yellow so it is easy to see downstream migration patterns. The movie can be paused and rewound to emphasize important points.
Graded Stream, Wiley (more info) : This Flash animation, with accompanying audio, loads slowly but this is a worthwhile portrayal of the graded stream concept. The relationship between flow, erosion, and deposition is depicted for a steep and gentle stream profile. The graded stream concept is also applied for a flood scenario.
