LAB EXERCISE 13.2 Why Some Streams Meander but Others Are Straight

(Q003) Part 3.a. What is the sinuosity (channel length divided by straight-line length) of the Bighorn River between points A and B and that of its tributary between points C and D?

1.6

Part 7.a. What is the gradient (vertical drop divided by channel length) in feet per mile (ft/mi) of the Unnamed tributary in Figure 13.4 between points C and D?

128 ft/mi

(Q005) Part 5.a. What is the lowest elevation of the Bighorn River between points A and B?

3850

Part 5.a. What is the lowest elevation of the Unnamed tributary in Figure 13.4 between points C and D?

3850 feet

(Q004) Part 4.a. What is the highest elevation of the Bighorn River between points A and B?

3870

Part 2.a. What is the straight-line length of the Unnamed tributary in Figure 13.4 between points C and D?

About 2.2 miles

(Q002) Part 2.a. What is the straight-line length of the Bighorn River between points A and B?

About 4 miles

Part 1.a. What is the channel length of the Bighorn River between points A and B?

About 6.5 miles

Part 3.a. What is the sinuosity (channel length divided by straight-line length) of the Unnamed tributary in Figure 13.4 between points C and D?

Approximately 1

(Q012) Part 4.c. What is the channel width of the Genesee River (A-B)?

about 0.1 mile

(Q006) Part 6.a. What is the vertical drop (highest elevation minus lowest elevation) of the Bighorn River between points A and B?

20 feet

(Q007) Part 7.a. What is the gradient (vertical drop divided by channel length) in feet per mile (ft/mi) of the Bighorn River between points A and B?

3.1 ft/mi

Part 6.a. What is the vertical drop (highest elevation minus lowest elevation) of the Unnamed tributary in Figure 13.4 between points C and D?

300 feet

Part 4.a. What is the highest elevation of the Unnamed tributary in Figure 13.4 between points C and D?

4150

(Q019) Part 1.h. Which of the streams in Figure 13.3 probably has the steepest gradient?

The river on the left

(Q016) Part 1.e. What is the apparent relationship between sinuosity and the valley width/channel width ratio?

The straighter the stream, the lower the valley width/channel width ratio; the greater the sinuosity, the greater the valley width/channel width ratio

Part 1.c. What is the valley shape (V-shaped or broad with flat bottom) of the Genesee River (A-B) and the streams (A-B and C-D) of the Casino Lakes area? Choose all that apply.

The streams (A-B and C-D) of the Casino Lakes area are in V-shaped valleys The Genesee River sits in a valley that is mostly flat.

Part 1.g. Which probably has the steeper gradient, the River Cuckmere or the Yellowstone River? Explain your reasoning. Choose all the statements that are true.

Yellowstone River has the steeper gradient, because it is straighter

(Q010) Part 2.c. What is the gradient of the Genesee River (A-B)? Note, you'll have to measure the channel length and vertical drop, like you did for the Bighorn River.

about 0.5 ft/mi

(Q011) Part 3.c. What is the valley width of the Genesee River (A-B)?

about 1.5 miles

(Q013) Part 5.c. What is the valley width/channel width of the Genesee River (A-B)? In other words, how many times wider is the valley than the stream channel? For comparison, the valley width/channel width ratio for the streams in the Casino Lakes region (Figure 13.6) is 1.

about 15

Part 1.a. What is the channel length of the Unnamed tributary in Figure 13.4 between points C and D?

about 2.3 miles

(Q014) Part 6.c. What is the sinuosity (channel length divided by straight-line length) of the Genesee River (A-B)?

about 3