Fluvial Landforms

Geography With Sandeep Sir
Fluvial Landforms
Moving water is so widespread and effective as an agent of erosion and
deposition that its influence on the landscape is usually the prominent—and in many cases,
the dominant—process at work. The shapes of most valleys are strongly influenced by the
water that runs through them—especially through the transportation and deposition of
sediment. Areas above the valleys are less affected by running water, but even there flowing
water may significantly influence the shape of the land. The basic landscape-sculpting effect
of running water is to smooth irregularities—in simplest terms, to wear down the topography
by erosion and transportation of debris, and fill up the valleys by deposition.
Erosion and deposition by streams sculpt Earth’s landscapes into an array of

features. Flowing water in streams picks up sediment, transports it to lower elevations, and
deposits it. Flooding rivers and smaller streams deposit sediment and nutrients critical to
agriculture, but they can also inundate cities and destroy structures built too close to the
riverbank. The landforms created as a result of degradational action (erosion) or aggradation
work (deposition) of running water is called fluvial landforms.
These landforms result from the action of surface flow/run-off or stream flow
(water flowing through a channel under the influence of gravity). The creative work of fluvial
processes may be divided into three physical phases—erosion, transportation and deposition.
Various Aspects of Fluvial Erosive Action:
Running water may carry out erosion through any one or more of the following ways:
1. Mechanical action may include the solid river load striking against rocks and wearing
them down (corrasion or abrasion), or the force of running water wearing down rocks
(hydration) or the river load particles striking, colliding against each other and breaking down
in the process (attrition).
2. Chemical action includes corrosion or solution.
This action of running water may either be in vertical direction (down cutting
leading to valley deepening) or in lateral/horizontal direction (causing valley broadening).
The lowest level to which a valley can be eroded by running water is called its base level.
J.W. Powell had given the concept of base level in 1875.
The sea level is considered to the Ultimate or Grand Base Level below which
a dry-land cannot be eroded anywhere on earth. There may be many temporary base levels
during the course of a stream because of a variety of factors, such as at the confluence of a
tributary and the master stream, which is the base level for the tributary and presence of a
lake or enclosed water body, etc.
Contact: +91 9972000318 https://t.me/GeographywithSandeepSir sandeepmahajana@gmail.com

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Fluvial Cycle of Erosion:
Three distinct stages of youth, maturity and old age can be identified during the lifetime of a
stream.
Youth: A few consequent streams exist and a few subsequent streams are trying to develop
valleys by random headward erosion. These valleys may be “V shaped. The depth of these
valleys depends on the height above sea level. The inter-stream divides are broad, extensive,
and irregular and may have lakes. Rapids, water-falls, gorges, river capture are characteristic
features. Floodplain is generally absent, but may exist along the trunk stream. Overall, a
highly uneven relief exists.
Maturity: This stage is marked by well- integrated drainage system with a few streams
trying to adjust through softer beds. Broad valleys result from continuous horizontal erosion.
Meanders are a characteristic feature and valley floor width is more than the meander belt
width. The inter-stream divides are sharp and the upland is reduced. Rapids and waterfalls are
absent. Floodplain development is a prominent feature. Maximum relief exists overall.
Old Age: The streams are more numerous than in youth but less as compared to maturity.
With increasing deposition valley broadening dominates. Meanders are highly developed
with ox-bow lakes, and floor width is more than the meander belt width. The inter-stream
divides are highly reduced. Lakes and marshes may be present. The successive floodplains
join to form a pen plain. Delta formation is characteristic of old age at the mouth of the river.
Mass wasting is dominant and, overall, minimum relief is evident.

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Fluvial Processes
Erosion
Erosion is a process in which the surface of the earth is worn away by various
agents of erosion like wind, water or Glacier. The removed material is carried away and
deposited elsewhere. Erosion by streams occurs through several processes going together.
These processes are Abrasion, Hydraulic action, Solution and Attrition.
Abrasion: Running water when armed with sand, silt and other sediments acts as very
effective means of erosion of the river bed. In the upper reaches the river with a steep
gradient carries a lot of such materials which act as a tool and are effective in carving huge
valleys, gorges and canyons. In contrast if the river is free of these sediments the erosion by
abrasion is minimal and the river would take much longer time to erode its bed.
Solution: Pure water seldom exists in natural conditions. It contains various gases and acids
in them, the water is charged with the acids and act as an important solvent. It may not be
effective on all the rocks but when it comes in contact with limestone, dolomite or chalk it
becomes most powerful agent of erosion as it dissolves them much faster. So solution also
forms an equally important process of erosion.
Attrition: When the stream loads (pebbles, sand, silt etc.) move together, they cause their own
wear and tear by colliding with one another. This rounding and shaping of these pebbles and
boulders amongst themselves is called attrition.
Hydraulic action (pressure): Running water has enormous force in it, when it strikes the
stream bed on its banks it may loosen the rocks, lift it and easily transport it. It acts as a
wedge when strikes the crack or fractures in the rock bed by widening and loosening it. Thus,
Hydraulic pressure is also reckoned as an important means of erosion. The above discussed
processes coupled with other factors give rise to diverse landforms occurring in different
parts of the stream course.
Transportation
The stream is an important means of transportation of sediments of varying

size and shape to distant lands much away from their source of origin. The sediments are
transported in various ways depending upon the size of the material; their composition
and volume of water.
Movement in solution: Materials like sulphate, carbonate, and chloride are dissolved in
water and carried till the end of the stream. Rivers flowing in arid and semi-arid regions
show more material in solution.
Movement in suspension: Very fine particles consisting of sand, silt and mud are transported
in huge quantities by the rivers. These particles are kept in suspension by the river as the
volume of water and its speed does not allow particles to settle. They are always kept in

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suspension while traveling and therefore are carried for a fairly longer distance than the larger
boulder or pebbles which roll along the stream bed.
Movement by traction: Large boulders and pebbles which are heavier for the stream to carry
them by means of suspension or saltation move by rolling along the stream bed. This rolling
causes abrasion on the bed and for they are in constant contact with the bed. They emerge as
one of the chief erosive agents of stream bed.
Movement by saltation: The particles jump and bounce when up rushing water comes with a
force lifting them from the bed to some distance. They cannot be carried long as their weight
is more and therefore cannot be kept in suspension. This type of movement is called saltation.
Deposition
A stream carries its load downslope toward a valley, a lake, or an ocean.
Along that journey, whenever a stream’s load exceeds its capacity, it deposits some of its
load. This deposited sediment is called alluvium.
Deposition typically occurs where the velocity of streamflow decreases. For

example, deposition occurs along stream banks when the streamflow slows down on the
inside of a bend in the channel. During flooding, fast-moving floodwaters slow down and
spread out over the valley floor, depositing alluvium in layers. Fine sediment, rich in organic
matter, can improve soil fertility—although, sometimes, flooding can also leave behind sterile
layers of sand or gravel.
Dams represent a special case for sediment deposition and can have a variety
of negative influences on fluvial systems. Where earthen or concrete barriers block the
streamflow, transported sediment quickly settles at the base of the dam. Sediment that would
otherwise continue downstream and settle out during floods continuously fills in the reservoir
bottom. Eventually, the sediment may displace enough water to render the original dam
inoperable for water storage or electrical generation. Costly dredging is the only remedy for
removing depositional sediment.
Erosional Landforms
River Valleys:
The extended depression on ground through which a stream flows throughout

its course is called a river valley. At different stages of the erosional cycle the valley acquires
different profiles. At a young stage, the valley is deep, narrow with steep wall-like sides and a
convex slope. The erosional action here is characterised by predominantly vertical
downcutting nature. The profile of valley here is typically ‘V’ shaped. As the cycle attains
maturity, the lateral erosion becomes prominent and the valley floor flattens out. The valley
profile now becomes typically ‘U’ shaped with a broad base and a concave slope.
A deep and narrow V shaped valley is also referred to as gorge and may result
due to downcutting erosion and because of recession of a waterfall. Most Himalayan Rivers
pass through deep gorges (at times more than 500 metres deep) before they descend to the

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plains. An extended form of gorge is called a canyon. The Grand Canyon of the Colorado
River in Arizona (USA) runs for 483 km and has a depth of 2.88 km.
A tributary valley lies above the main valley and is separated from it by a
steep slope down which the stream may flow as a waterfall or a series of rapids.
2. Waterfalls:
A waterfall is simply the fall of an enormous volume of water from a great

height, because of a variety of factors such as variation in the relative resistance of rocks,
relative difference in topographic reliefs; fall in the sea level and related rejuvenation, earth
movements etc. For example, Jog or Gersoppa falls on Sharavati (a tributary of Cauveri) has
a fall of 260 metres.
A rapid, on the other hand, is a sudden change in gradient of a river and resultant fall of water
3. 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. Potholing or pothole-drilling is the mechanism through

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which the grinding tools (fragments of rocks, e.g. boulders and angular rock fragments) when
caught in the water eddies or swirling water start dancing in a circular manner and grind and
drill the rock beds of the valleys like a drilling machine. They thus form small holes which
are gradually enlarged by the repetition of the said mechanism. The potholes go on increasing
in both diameter and depth.
4. Terraces:
Stepped benches along the river course in a flood plain are called terraces. Terraces represent
the level of former valley floors and remnants of former (older) flood plains.
5. Gulleys/Rills:
Gulley is an incised water- worn channel, which is particularly common in semi-arid areas. It
is formed when water from overland-flows down a slope, especially following heavy rainfall,
is concentrated into rills, which merge and enlarge into a gulley. The ravines of Chambal
Valley in Central India and the Chos of Hoshiarpur in Punjab are examples of gulleys.

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6. Meanders:
A meander is defined as a pronounced curve or loop in the course of a river channel. The
outer bend of the loop in a meander is characterised by intensive erosion and vertical cliffs
and is called the cliff-slope side. This side has a concave slope. The inner side of the loop is
characterised by deposition, a gentle convex slope, arid is called the slip-off side.
Morphologically, the meanders may be wavy, horse-shoe type or ox-bow/ bracelet type.
7. Ox-Bow Lake:
Sometimes, because of intensive erosion action, the outer curve of a meander gets
accentuated to such an extent that the inner ends of the loop come close enough to get
disconnected from the main channel and exist as independent water bodies. These water
bodies are converted into swamps in due course of time. In the Indo-Gangetic plains,
southwards shifting of Ganga has left many ox-bow lakes to the north of the present course of
the Ganga.
8. Peneplane (Or peneplain):
This refers to an undulating featureless plain punctuated with low- lying residual hills of
resistant rocks. According to W.M. Davis, it is the end product of an erosional cycle.
Depositional Landforms
The depositional action of a stream is influenced by stream velocity and the
volume of river load. The decrease in stream velocity reduces the transporting power of the
streams which are forced to leave additional load to settle down. Increase in river load is
effected through (i) accelerated rate of erosion in the source catchment areas consequent upon
deforestation and hence increase in the sediment load in the downstream sections of the
rivers; (ii) supply of glacio-fluvial materials; (iii) supply of additional sediment load by
tributary streams; (iv) gradual increase in the sediment load of the streams due to rill and
gully erosion.

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Various landforms resulting from fluvial deposition are as follows:
1. Alluvial Fans and Cones:
When a stream leaves the mountains and comes down to the plains, its
velocity decreases due to a lower gradient. As a result, it sheds a lot of material, which it had
been carrying from the mountains, at the foothills. This deposited material acquires a conical
shape and appears as a series of continuous fans. These are called alluvial fans. Such fans
appear throughout the Himalayan foothills in the north Indian plains.
2. Natural Levees:
These are narrow ridges of low height on both sides of a river, formed due to
deposition action of the stream, appearing as natural embankments. These act as a natural
protection against floods but a breach in a levee causes sudden floods in adjoining areas, as it
happens in the case of the Hwang Ho river of China.
3. Delta:
A delta is a tract of alluvium usually fan-shaped, at the mouth of a river where

it deposits more material than can be carried away. The river gets divided into two or more
channels (distributaries) which may further divide and re-join to form a network of channels.

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Conditions for Delta Formation:
The ideal favourable conditions for the formation and growth of delta include:
(1) Suitable place in the form of shallow sea and lake shores.
(2) Long courses of the rivers (i.e. long rivers so that they bring enough amounts of
sediments).
(3) Medium size of sediments (because if the sediments are very fine, they would be carried
in the sea in suspension for longer distances and if they are very coarse, they would soon
settle down at the sea bottom, and hence no delta would be formed).
(4) Relatively calm or sheltered sea at the mouths of the rivers (so that ocean currents, strong
waves or high tidal waves do not interfere with the natural process of gradual sedimentation
and delta formation).
(5) Large amount of sediment supply.
(6) Accelerated rate of erosion in the catchment area of the concerned river.
(7) Almost stable condition of sea coast and oceanic bottom (because sea coast subjected to
frequent emergence or submergence caused by tectonic movements does not allow regular
sedimentation and thus disfavours delta formation) etc.
A delta is formed by a combination of two processes:
(i) Sediment is deposited when the load-bearing capacity of a river is reduced as a result of
the check to its speed as it enters a sea or lake, and
(ii) At the same time fine clay particles carried in suspension in the river coagulate in the
presence of salt water and are deposited. The finest particles are carried farthest to
accumulate as bottom-set beds; coarser material is deposited in a series of steeply sloping
wedges forming the forest beds; and the coarsest material is deposited on the braided surface
of the delta as topset beds.

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Deltas undergo subsidence because of:
(1) Gradual sedimentation and consequent increase in the weight of delta materials,
(2) Compaction of sediments caused by load of sediments,
(3) Enormous thickness of sediments, and
(4) Isostatic adjustment etc.
Growth of Delta:
No doubt, there is growth in all types of delta towards the sea but the rate of growth varies
considerably from one situation to the other.
The nature and rate of delta growth depends on a variety of factors e.g.:
 Velocity of the stream flow,

 Nature of sea waves,
 Supply of sediments,
 Oceanic currents, and
 Slope and height of deltas etc.
Most of the sediments are unloaded at the mouths of the rivers if their velocity is extremely
low and thus the growth of deltas toward the sea becomes sluggish. On the other hand,
streams with greater velocity transport their load far greater distance in the sea and thus allow
faster rate of delta growth, but deltas formed in such situation are narrow and long. Strong sea
waves and oceanic currents retard the growth of deltas because they erode and remove the
sediments away. The sliding of materials from higher deltas towards the sea also encourages
the seaward growth of deltas.
Depending on the conditions under which they are formed, deltas can be of many types.
Arcuate or Fan-shaped: This type of delta results when light depositions give rise to
shallow, shifting distributaries and a general fan-shaped profile. Examples: Nile, Ganga,
Indus.

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Bird’s Foot Delta: This type of delta emerges when limestone sediment deposits do not
allow downward seepage of water. The distributaries seem to be flowing over projections of
these deposits which appear as a bird’s foot. The currents and tides are weak in such areas
and the number of distributaries lesser as compared to an arcuate delta. Example: Mississippi
river.
Estuarine delta: Sometimes the mouth of the river appears to be submerged. This may be
due to a drowned valley because of a rise in sea level. Here fresh water and the saline water
get mixed. When the river starts ‘filling its mouth’ with sediments, mud bars, marshes and
plains seem to be developing in it. These are ideal sites for fisheries, ports and industries
because estuaries provide access to deep water, especially if protected from currents and
tides. Example: Hudson.
Cuspate Delta: This is a pointed delta formed generally along strong coasts and is subjected
to strong wave action. There are very few or no distributaries in a cuspate delta. It has curved
sides because of an even deposition of material on either side of the mouth. Example: Tiber
River on west coast of Italy.

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Truncated Delta: Sea waves and ocean currents modify and even destroy deltas deposited
by the river through their erosional work. Thus, eroded and dissected deltas are called
truncated deltas.
Blocked delta: Blocked deltas are those whose seaward growth is blocked by sea waves and
ocean currents through their erosional activities. The progradation of deltas may also be
hampered due to sudden decrease in the supply of sediments consequent upon climatic
change or management of catchment areas of concerned rivers.
Abandoned Delta: When the rivers shift their mouths in the seas and oceans, new deltas are
formed, while the previous deltas are left unnourished. Such deltas are called abandoned
deltas. The Yellow (formerly Hwang Ho) river of China has changed its mouths several times
and thus has formed several deltas. For example, the present delta of the Yellow river is to
the north of Shantung Peninsula while the previous delta was deposited to the south of the
peninsula. The western part of the Ganga delta, which is drained by the Hoogli River is an
example of abandoned delta.
4. Braided streams: The streams when get overloaded with sediments do not carry them
along and leave the excess material on the river floor in the form of sand bars. These deposits
cause the stream to split into several channels. The braided stream is a common occurrence in
the region which are relatively dry and arid and where the supply of water is not steady.
Source: Physical Geography Savindra Singh; Introducing Physical Geography Strahler; ePG Patashala, MHRD; Wikipedia;
Google Images, etc.

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Fluvial Landforms

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Geography With Sandeep Sir

Erosion and deposition by streams sculpt Earth’s landscapes into an array of

Various Aspects of Fluvial Erosive Action:

2. Chemical action includes corrosion or solution.

Contact: +91 9972000318 https://t.me/GeographywithSandeepSir sandeepmahajana@gmail.com

Fluvial Cycle of Erosion:

Contact: +91 9972000318 https://t.me/GeographywithSandeepSir sandeepmahajana@gmail.com

The stream is an important means of transportation of sediments of varying

Contact: +91 9972000318 https://t.me/GeographywithSandeepSir sandeepmahajana@gmail.com

Deposition typically occurs where the velocity of streamﬂow decreases. For

The extended depression on ground through which a stream flows throughout

Contact: +91 9972000318 https://t.me/GeographywithSandeepSir sandeepmahajana@gmail.com

A waterfall is simply the fall of an enormous volume of water from a great

Contact: +91 9972000318 https://t.me/GeographywithSandeepSir sandeepmahajana@gmail.com

Contact: +91 9972000318 https://t.me/GeographywithSandeepSir sandeepmahajana@gmail.com

8. Peneplane (Or peneplain):

Contact: +91 9972000318 https://t.me/GeographywithSandeepSir sandeepmahajana@gmail.com

Various landforms resulting from fluvial deposition are as follows:

1. Alluvial Fans and Cones:

A delta is a tract of alluvium usually fan-shaped, at the mouth of a river where

Contact: +91 9972000318 https://t.me/GeographywithSandeepSir sandeepmahajana@gmail.com

Conditions for Delta Formation:

(5) Large amount of sediment supply.

A delta is formed by a combination of two processes:

Contact: +91 9972000318 https://t.me/GeographywithSandeepSir sandeepmahajana@gmail.com

Deltas undergo subsidence because of:

 Velocity of the stream flow,

Contact: +91 9972000318 https://t.me/GeographywithSandeepSir sandeepmahajana@gmail.com

Contact: +91 9972000318 https://t.me/GeographywithSandeepSir sandeepmahajana@gmail.com

Contact: +91 9972000318 https://t.me/GeographywithSandeepSir sandeepmahajana@gmail.com

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