River Systems

A river system is a network of connecting

channels through which water, precipitated
on the surface, is collected and funneled back
to the ocean. At any given time, about 1300
km3 of water flows in the world’s rivers. As
it moves, it picks up weathered rock debris
and carries it to the oceans. Rivers are the
dominant agents of erosion on our planet. No
matter where you go, rivers have played
some role in shaping the surface.
GEOLOGIC IMPORTANCE OF RUNNING WATER

Running water is by far the most importantagent

of erosion. Other agents,such as groundwater,
glaciers, and wind, are locally dominant but
affect only limited parts of Earth’s surface.
MAJOR CHARACTERISTICS OF
RIVER SYSTEMS
A river’s collecting system consists of the network of tributaries in
the headwater region that collect and funnel water and sediment to
the main stream

The transporting system is the main trunk stream, which functions as

a channel through which water and sediment flow from the
collecting area toward the ocean.

The dispersing system consists of a network of

distributaries at the mouth of a river, where
sediment and water are dispersed into an ocean, a
lake, or a dry basin.
 Order in Stream Systems
1. The number of stream segments (tributaries)
decreases downstream in a
mathematical progression.
2. The length of tributaries becomes progressively
greater downstream.
3. The gradient, or slope, of tributaries decreases
exponentially downstream.
4. The stream channels become progressively deeper
and wider downstream.
5. The size of the valley is proportional to the size of the
stream and increases
downstream.
 THE DYNAMICS OF STREAM FLOW
Rivers are highly complex systems influenced by several
variables. As is the case with so many natural systems, if
one variable is changed, it produces a change in the
others.The most important variables are (1) discharge,
(2) gradient, (3) velocity, (4) sediment load, and (5) base
level.
 EQUILIBRIUM GRADIENTS IN RIVER SYSTEMS
A river system functions as a unified whole: Any change in one part
of the system affects the other parts.The major factors that
determine stream flow constantly change toward a balance, or
equilibrium, so that the
gradient of the stream is adjusted to accommodate the volume of
the water available, the channel’s characteristics, and the velocity
necessary to transport the sediment load.
 PROCESSES OF STREAM EROSION
River systems erode the landscape by three main processes:
(1) removal of regolith, (2) downcutting of the stream channel
by abrasion, and (3) headward erosion.
 PROCESSES OF STREAM DEPOSITION

In the lower parts of a river system (transporting and dispersing

systems),
the gradient of a river is very low. As a result, the stream’s velocity is
reduced, and deposition of much of the sediment load occurs, to create:
(1) floodplains, (2) alluvial valleys, (3) deltas, and (4) alluvial fans.
 FLOODS

Flooding is the overflow of water from the stream channel onto

adjacent land that is usually dry. It is a natural process in all river
systems and has occurred throughout all of geologic time.
 RIVERS, CLIMATES, AND PLATE TECTONICS

The evolution of the major rivers of the world is influenced

directly and indirectly by plate tectonics and by climate zones.