Fluvial sediment processes
If the cohesive strength of the substrate is lower than the shear exerted, or the bed is composed of loose sediment which can be mobilized by such stresses, then the bed will be lowered purely by clearwater flow.
In addition, if the river carries significant quantities of sediment, this material can act as tools to enhance wear of the bed (abrasion).
A river is continually picking up and dropping solid particles of rock and soil from its bed throughout its length.
[6] The names of many rivers derive from the color that the transported matter gives the water.
The main kinds of fluvial processes are: The major fluvial (river and stream) depositional environments include: Rivers and streams carry sediment in their flows.
If the upwards velocity is much less than the settling velocity, but still high enough for the sediment to move (see Initiation of motion), it will move along the bed as bed load by rolling, sliding, and saltating (jumping up into the flow, being transported a short distance then settling again).
Sediment motion can create self-organized structures such as ripples, dunes, or antidunes on the river or stream bed.
These bedforms are often preserved in sedimentary rocks and can be used to estimate the direction and magnitude of the flow that deposited the sediment.
Overland flow can erode soil particles and transport them downslope.
