GEO lab- Streams
sinuous channel sinuosity
1.3 to 1.5
drainage basins
also called watersheds, areas that drain to the valley
rectangular drainage
channels develop along perpendicular sets of rock fractures or joints
dendritic pattern
develop on flat lying or homogenous rock
annular pattern
develops on eroded domes or folds with resistant and nonresistant rock types
trellis pattern
develops on tilted layers of resistant and nonresistant rock
downstream changes
gradient and channel roughness will decrease and discharge, channel size and flow velocity will increase
meandering channel sinuosity
greater than 1.5
interfluve
higher land above valley walls that separates adjacent valleys
meandering channels
highly variable curvature
sinuous channel
irregular and gentle curvature that is sinuous in appearance
straight channel sinuosity
less than 1.3
sinuosity
measure of how much a stream channel meanders side to side length of A-B stream channel measured with curves divided by length A-B measured as a straight line
braided streams
multiple interwoven channels separated by loose bars or islands
where is the deposition concentrated along a meandering stream
on the inner banks of the meander loops
unchanneled downslope movement of water
overland flow
valley
portion of terrain in which a drainage system is established
straight channel
short and indicative of strong geologic structure control
a straight channel will have a ______ gradient than a meandering channel
smaller
any channeled flow of water is a
stream
channeled movement of water
stream flow
what is the drop is water surface elevation divided by the distance the water flows
stream gradient
oxbow
the abandoned, cutoff, meander loop of a stream
as gradient increases,
the sinuosity decreases
a _____ stream pattern develops on lands underlain by tilted or folded, alternating hard and soft, sedimentary strata
trellis
T or F: gradients usually decrease downstream in a major river system
true
T or F: the lower Mississippi River has the largest discharge of any river in North America
true
T or F: the lowest base level for most streams is sea level
true
channel shape =
wetted perimeter
