Module 1 Presentation3 Running Water

Dr.
Anindita Bhattacharjya
Geological work of running

water:
Dr. Anindita Bhattacharjya
➢ Almost 71% of the surface area of the Earth is covered

with water.
➢ They are in the form of running water (streams and

rivers), stagnant water (seas and oceans) & subsurface
water.
➢ The running water is considered as the most powerful of

all the natural geological agents.
Terminology:
Stream: Small surface bodies of water flowing in channels of their own.

Intermittent stream: Start flowing often vigorously, during and after heavy rains
in the catchment area.
Perennial stream: There is some water flowing through them throughout the
year.
River: Many streams flowing through a big area and ultimately joins to form
a single major channel known as river.
Drainage system: Streams and rivers collectively drain out all the water received
from precipitation (rainfall / snowfall) and other sources (meltwater / springwater)
in a given region and form the drainage system.
Drainage basin: The region that contributes water to the system is called drainage
basin.
Drainage system and Drainage basin:
Sources of stream water:
➢ Run off
➢Subsurface water / groundwater
➢Glacial melt water
Geological work of stream :
➢ Erosion
➢Transportation
➢Deposition
Methods of Erosion:
➢Hydraulic action
➢Cavitation
➢Abration
➢Attrition
➢Corrosion
Features of stream erosion:
Valley profile:
➢ Transverse Profile
➢ Longitudinal Profile
‘V’ shaped river valley

Pot holes: Circular and deep holes , ranges from few centimetres to
many metres, cut into solid rocks by sand grains and pebbles,
swirling in fast eddies. They are commonly found on the channel
floor.
Potholes:
Waterfalls: Dr. Anindita Bhattacharjya
➢ This is nothing but falling of stream
water from a height.
➢It occurs at places where the

stream profile makes a vertical drop.
➢Such a situation occurs where

gently inclined erosion resistant beds
overlie the non resistant beds.
➢ The softer rock is eroded fast and

while the harder one offers resistence
and forms a ledge at a height from
which the streams water falls down
deep into the gorge.
Gorges and
Canyons:
➢ Gorges are very

deep and narrow
valleys with very
steep and high walls
on either side.
➢ Generally develop
in hard rocks.
➢Their length varies

from a few meters to
several kilometers.
Dr. Anindita
➢A canyon is a specific type of gorge where Bhattacharjya
the layers cut down
by a river are essentially stratified and horizontal in attitude.
➢ The Grand Canyon of Colorado is the deepest canyon in the

world.
Escarpments:
➢ These are produced by rivers in regions composed of
alternating beds of hard and soft rocks.
Typical features of escarpment topography:
Dip slope: Sometimes a stream may succeed in completely
eroding the overlying softer rock, thereby fully exposing the
underlying hard layer all along its dip. (the angle of
inclination of the layer with the horizontal)
Cuesta: This is a combined set of escarpment and dip slope

and results due to prolonged erosion of rocks.
Hogback: This is an outstanding outcrop of hard rock having

erosional slopes on either side.
Mesa and Butte:

➢Erosional features made up of horizontally layered rocks.
➢ Having a cap of hard and resistant rocks.
➢Large sized caps are called mesa whereas comparatively
small sized and isolated patches are called butte or kopjees.
Hogback:
Cuesta:
Mesa and Butte

Stream Terraces:
➢ Bench like ledges or flat surfaces

that occur on the sides of many
river valleys.
➢ May be made up of hard rock or
of soft rock.
➢ From a distance they may
appear as big natural staircase.
➢Some of them are clearly
features of river erosion indicating
that the stream has cut down its
own channel in a series of stages.
➢Sometimes it may appear that
the terraces are made up of
stream deposits, which have been
cut down by the streams under the
changed conditions of flow.
Features of stream deposition:
Alluvial fans:
➢ Cone shaped accumulations of stream deposits.
➢Found at places where streams coming down from hill slopes

enter the low lands.
➢It is formed because the stream rushing down the slope with
enormous debris suffers almost a sudden check in its velocity
where it enters the low land area.
when the slope of the deposit is below 10 degree it is
known as Alluvial fan.
When the slope is 10- 50 degree it is known as Alluvial
cone.
Deltas:
➢These are alluvial deposits of triangular shape that are
deposited by major rivers at their mouths.
➢ The materials of most deltas are well sorted and uniformly graded.
➢ It consists of three sets of beds
➢ Topset beds: Foreset beds are covered by topset beds. Thin, nearly
horizontal beds composed of both fine and coarse grained sediments.
➢ Foreset beds: Begin to form prior to the formation of bottomset beds.

Composed of coarse grained sediment. Angle of slope varies from 12 to 32
degree.
➢ Bottomset beds: Thin, horizontal, overlie the ocean botom. Mainly

composed of fine grained sediments silts and clays.
Natural levees:
➢ River bank deposits made
by a river along its banks
during floods.
➢These are broad elongated

ridge shape deposits running
all along the banks of a river.
➢They are produced due to

deposition of a part of flood
sediments along its banks
when it suffers its first check
in its velocity while making an
attempt to overflow them.
Natural levee:
Rivers and Engineering

➢ Rivers present many practical problems to civil engineers
➢ Rivers require construction of bridges across them for carrying highways and
railways.
➢ Water power of river can be utilized to generate hydroelectriciy.
➢ Dams are built on rivers to store water for irrigation, flood conrol, and water
supply purposes.
➢ Regulation of river channels are done for navigation and flood control.
➢ River deposits are the important sources of the construction material.
➢ The life of some artificial reservoirs is reduced considerably by river deposits.

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Dr.

Geological work of running

➢ Almost 71% of the surface area of the Earth is covered

➢ They are in the form of running water (streams and

➢ The running water is considered as the most powerful of

Stream: Small surface bodies of water flowing in channels of their own.

➢Subsurface water / groundwater

➢Glacial melt water

Geological work of stream :

‘V’ shaped river valley

➢It occurs at places where the

➢Such a situation occurs where

➢ The softer rock is eroded fast and

➢ Gorges are very

➢Their length varies

➢ The Grand Canyon of Colorado is the deepest canyon in the

Cuesta: This is a combined set of escarpment and dip slope

Hogback: This is an outstanding outcrop of hard rock having

Mesa and Butte:

Mesa and Butte

➢ Bench like ledges or flat surfaces

➢Found at places where streams coming down from hill slopes

➢ It consists of three sets of beds

➢ Foreset beds: Begin to form prior to the formation of bottomset beds.

➢ Bottomset beds: Thin, horizontal, overlie the ocean botom. Mainly

➢These are broad elongated

➢They are produced due to

Rivers and Engineering

➢ Water power of river can be utilized to generate hydroelectriciy.

➢ River deposits are the important sources of the construction material.

➢ The life of some artificial reservoirs is reduced considerably by river deposits.

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