Course Name: Geomorphology

Lecture: 5

Md. Ilias Mahmud

Lecturer
Barisal University
Barisal

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 Lecture Outline
• Erosional Landforms
River Valleys
Water Falls
Pot Holes
Structural Benches
River Terraces
Meanders
Peneplains
 Erosional Landforms
• The significant landforms resulting from fluvial erosion by
streams include:

River valley
Water falls
Rapids
Pot holes
Structural benches
River terraces
Meanders
Peneplains
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 River Valley
• Valleys are negative landforms of varying size and shapes produced
and occupied by streams. The shape and dimension of fluvially
originated valleys change with the advancement of the stages of
fluvial cycle of erosion. They have generally a ‘V’ to ‘U’ shape.

• The initial stage of valley development is V-shaped having steep

valley side slope of convex element. The valley is very deep and
narrow, both the valley sides meet together at the valley floor and thus
water always touches the valley sides. Such types of V-shaped valleys
are the result of accelerated rate of downcutting.
 River Valley

• The valleys are gradually widened due to lateral erosion and they
become quite broad with flat valley floor and uniform or rectilinear
valley side slopes during mature stage of valley development and
fluvial cycle of erosion.

• They are further transformed into very broad and shallow valleys
having concave valley side slope of very gentle gradient during old
stage.

• Valleys are also sometimes termed as gully, ravin, gorge, canyon, etc.
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River Valley

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 Valley Development

• A valley takes form through the operation of three

simultaneous processes. Depending on the stage of
development, one process may predominate over
the others. (i) Valley deepening

(ii) Valley widening

(iii) Valley lengthening

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 Valley Development

• Valley deepening: This process is most prominent during

the young stage of a fluvial cycle. It is effected by a number
of processes:
1. Hydraulic action
2. Abrasion of the valley floor.
3. Pothole drilling
4. Corrosion
5. Weathering of stream bed and subsequent removal of
weathered material by hydraulic action.
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 Valley Development

• Valley widening: May be accomplished in several ways:

1. Lateral erosion by streams- a process most noticeable

during mature and old stage because by then valley
deepening essentially ceases and, therefore, the effects of
lateral erosion are more obvious.

2. Rainwash or sheetwash of valley sides.

3. Weathering and mass-wasting.

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 Valley Development

• Valley lengthening: May take place in three ways:

1. Extension of valleys by the process of headwater

erosion.

2. Lengthening of valleys through the increase in size of

their meanders.

3. Valleys can also lengthen at their termini by uplift of the

land or lowering of sea or lake level, by sea ward extension
of Deltas. 10
 Classification of Valleys

• Based on stage in the fluvial cycle, valleys are classified as:

1. Young valley

2. Mature valley

3. Old valley

• Based on origin (genetically), valleys are grouped as:

1. Consequent valley

2. Subsequent valley
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 Classification of Valleys
• Consequent valley: is one whose course was determined by the
initial slope of the land on which it flows. Valley that have
developed on newly created land surface, such as, alluvial plain,
glacial plain or recently uplifted coastal plain, are considered as
consequent valleys.

• Subsequent valley: is a valley whose course has been shifted

from the original consequent one to a belt/area of more readily
erodable rocks. Such valley represents structurally adjusted
stream course. It is also sometimes termed ‘strike valley’ or ‘
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longitudinal valley’.
 Waterfalls
• Waterfalls or simply falls are caused because of sudden descents or
abrupt breaks in the longitudinal course of the rivers due to a host of
factors e.g. variation in the relative resistance of rocks, relative
difference in topographic reliefs, fall in the sea level and related
rejuvenation, earth movements etc.

• A waterfall may be defined as a vertical drop of water of enormous

volume from a great height in the long profiles of the rivers.

• Rapid is a part of river where current is very fast and rough. Forms
due to increase in water flow characterized by a river becoming
shallower 13
 Waterfall

Rapid

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 Pot Holes
• The kettle-like small depressions in the rocky beds of the river
valleys are called pot holes which are usually cylindrical in
shape. Pot holes are generally formed in coarse-grained rocks
such as sandstones and granites.

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 Structural Benches

• The step-like flat surfaces on either side of the present

lowest valley floors are called terraces. The benches or
terraces formed due to differential erosion of alternate
bands of hard and soft rocks beds are called structural
benches or terraces because of lithological control in the
rate of erosion and consequent development of benches.

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 River Terraces

• The narrow flat surfaces on either side of the valley floor

are called river terraces which represent the level of former
valley floors and the remnants of former (older) flood
plains. River terraces are generally formed due to
dissection of fluvial sediments of flood plains deposited
along a valley floor.

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Structural Benches/ River Terraces

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 River Menders
• River meanders refer to the bends of longitudinal
courses of rivers. Meanders are the result of erosion
and deposition both.

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 Ox-bow Lakes
• The lakes formed due to impounding of water in the
abandoned meander loops are called ox-bow or horse-shoe
lakes. When the curvature of the meander loops is so
accentuated due to lateral erosion, the meander loops
become almost circular and the two ends of meander loops
come closer, consequently, the streams straighten their
courses and meander loops are abandoned to form ox-bow
lakes.

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Ox-bow Lakes

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 Peneplains
• Peneplains represent low featureless plain having
undulating surface and remnants of convexo-
concave residual hills. These are , in fact, the end
products of normal cycle of erosion.

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• In the next class, We will be talking about

Transportational work of streams