Practical Day & Time: Mon 1 – 3pm

Course: GE101 Introduction to Physical Geography

TITLE: The Geomorphology and Sedimentology of the

Nabukavesi Creek.

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 Prepared by:

1. INTRODUCTION
Nabukavesi river is located on the island of Viti Levu in Fiji at latitude 18 o9’51” S and
longitude 178o14’51”E (Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, 2023). Fluvial processes determine
the characteristics of a river system, and for the Nabukavesi river processes such as
denudation, deposition, erosion, hydraulic action, abrasion, corrosion all influence the river
system. The objective of this field trip was to determine the effects of various fluvial
processes on the chosen area of study along the Nabukavesi river. The data was collected
using three methods and analyzed to determine the processes involved in the formation
and shaping of the Nabukavesi river. It is also important to note that the field trip was
carried out on 6th April during the hot and dry season – this was evident during the field trip,
so the features and processes observed were typical of a hot sunny day.

Figure 1: Area of study along the Nabukavesi river showing the meanders and the shape of
the river system. Source – Google Earth

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 2. METHODS
2.1 Exercise 1 – Determining the Area of a River Cross Section
Determining the cross section for the river required the use of 2 measuring tapes and 2
sticks to determine the depths at every 50 cm along our chosen area. Two members of the
team had to use one measuring tape and measure the width of the river at the chosen point
(i.e., from bank to bank), and hold the measuring tape in that place until the completion of
the activity. The other members measured the depth along the area using the sticks and the
other measuring tape at every 50 cm. The results were recorded and displayed in Table 1
below.
2.2 Exercise 2 – River Channel Processes
The group identified a location along the river where material deposition has occurred and
took a sample from this area. Using this sample, 35 different rocks were identified. Using a
ruler, the longest and shortest axis for each rock was measured. Additionally, using the grain
shape diagram in Figure 2 below, we categorized the 35 rocks accordingly and recorded our
observations in Table 2 below.
2.3 Exercise 3 – Comparing Water Velocities Using Floats
Using a selected float, stopwatch, and a measuring tape the group had to measure the time
it took the float to travel 10.0m. Firstly, measure 10m at a riffle (area where water travels
fast) and time how long it takes the float to get from the starting point to the endpoint. This
process was repeated four more times and recorded the results. Select an area of the river
that water pools (area where water travels slowly) and repeat the process above producing
the results displayed in Table 3 below. The following formulae was used to calculate the
velocity:
distance travelled(cm)
Velocity of float= Eq[1]
average time(secs)

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 3. RESULTS
3.1 Exercise 1 – Determining the Area of a River Cross Section

Horizont
Depth al Dept Cross Section - Nabukavesi Creek
Numbe Distance h 0
r (cm) (cm) 0
10
0
20
0
30
0
40
0
50
0
60
0
70
0
80
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170
1 0 0 -10
2 50 2.4
-20
3 100 7
4 150 9 -30
Depth (cm)

5 200 10.1
-40
6 250 14.6
7 300 10.2 -50
8 350 9.5
-60
9 400 7.2
10 450 6.3 -70
11 500 8.9
-80
12 550 11.5
13 600 17 Horizontal Distance (cm)

14 650 20
15 700 21.8 Figure 2: Depth -vs- Horizontal Distance. Shows cross section of the
16 750 22.4 Nabukavesi river at our chosen area.
17 800 35
18 850 42.4
19 900 54
20 950 61
21 1000 66.2 CALCULATIONS FOR CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA
22 1050 70.1
Size for each box from Fig 1 : 50 cm× 2.5 cm=0.5 m× 0.025 m
23 1100 74
24 1150 70 ¿ 0.0125 m2
Number of boxes from Fig 1: 492 blocks
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Cross-sectional area: 492 × 0.0125m2=6.15 m 2
 25 1200 69
26 1250 68.1
27 1300 71
28 1350 71.1
29 1400 67.3
30 1450 70
31 1500 63
32 1550 49
33 1600 28
34 1650 3
35 1700 0
Shor Table 1: Data collected from Nabukavesi Creek for cross
t section. Taken at a selected section of the river.
Long Axis
Sampl Axis (mm
e (mm) ) Shape 3.2 Exercise 2 – River Channel Processes
1 70 60 HS, VR
2 75 25 LS, VA
3 77 40 LS, VA
4 70 16 LS, S Table 2: Shows the sizes and shapes for the 35 rock
5 131 46 LS, VA samples collected at Nabukavesi river.
6 44 38 HS, VA
7 110 44 LS, R
8 49 20 LS, S
9 65 11 LS, PR
10 66 54 HS, PR
11 65 31 HS, VR 3.3 Exercise 3 – Comparing Water Velocities
12 34 33 HS, VR Using Floats
13 49 13 LS, PR
14 48 36 HS, VA
15 70 50 LS, VA Figure 3: Grain shape diagram used to categorize each rock.
16 21 12 HS, A
17 56 11 LS, S
18 55 23 LS, VR
19 47 36 LS, VR
20 90 39 LS, VA
21 32 16 HS, A
22 65 16 LS, PR
23 131 60 LS, VA
24 54 8 LS, PR
25 99 74 HS, PR
26 40 15 HS, PR
27 45 42 HS, S
28 126 59 LS, PR
29 39 19 HS, A
30 36 31 HS, PR
31 72 20 HS, S
32 76 44 LS, R 5
33 86 31 HS, PR
Figure 4: An example of an angular rock (LHS) and rounded rock
34 70 60 HS, S
(RHS). Source - https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/penn-
35 43 17 LS, S
 Riffle: Time
Float No. Taken(secs) Float No. Pool: Time Taken(secs)
1 15.82 1 24.35
2 20.56 2 27.3
3 14.4 3 27.26
4 15.13 4 26.76
5 12.25 5 25.8
Average Average
Time 15.63 Time 26.29
Average Average
distance distance
travelled travelled
per per
second in second in
cm/s 63.97 cm/s 38.03
Table 3: Time taken for the float to travel 10.0m for a riffle and pool at Nabukavesi river.
Left – Data for riffle, Right – Data for pool

4. DISCUSSION

4.1 Exercise 1: Determining the Area of a River Cross Section

As the river flows it erodes and transports large volumes of material and debris with it. As it
reaches the end or the mouth of the river, it flows across land that is generally flat and will
start developing bends also known as meanders (The British Geograph, 2014). At these
meanders, there will be erosion where the river is moving fast and deposition where the
river is moving slow.
From the shape of the cross-section in Figure 2; as you move from the left side, it is shallow,
this is due to material being deposited at this point of the meander. As you move towards
the right side, the depth increases showing signs of erosion and fast movement of water
through this section (Galvin, 2023).
4.2 Exercise 2: River Channel Processes
The load carrying ability of the river or competence is determined by the velocity of the river
and the sizes of the materials that have been deposited. According to Table 2 above,
samples varied in sphericity and how angular or rounded the samples were. The more
angular samples represent rocks that have just recently been transported by the Nabukavesi
river while more rounded samples show it has been transported for a significant amount of
time and that these samples have undergone abrasion and as it travels through the river
pieces break off making it more rounded (Galvin, 2023). Furthermore, sizes of samples range
from 110 mm to 20 mm for the longest axis, and visual inspection of the river system- some
larger rocks and boulders can also be seen. Although data collection was confined to a lower
area of the river, but by observation of the area and the rocks it is inevitable that there will
be larger more angular rocks at the start of the river.
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Other stream transport processes that were evident during the field trip were suspended
load, traction, and saltation. Suspended load in the Nabukavesi river was evident with
brown murky areas where deposition occurs, and velocity is low. Traction and saltation
happen as the course materials are dragged and rolled along the course river (Galvin, Rivers
& Landform I, 2023).

4.3 Exercise 3: Comparing Water Velocity Using Floats

The speed of water in a river riffle is typically faster than in a pool area as depicted by Figure
5. A riffle is a shallow and rocky section of a river where water flows over a series of small
drops or steps, creating turbulence and increased water velocity. The speed of water in a
river riffle can vary depending on factors such as steeper gradient, volume of flow and
channel width (Galvin, Rivers & Landforms II, 2023). The water velocity in a riffle is faster
than the pool area due to its steeper gradient, narrower channel and the volume of water
flowing through it. In contrast, a pool is the slower-moving section of the river where water
is relatively calm. This is confirmed by the data in Table 3 which shows the velocity at the
riffle is higher than the velocity at the pool.
The differences in water velocity between riffles and pools can have significant ecological
implications. Riffles provide an important habitat for many species of fish and invertebrates
that require fast-moving water to thrive. In contrast, pools offer important habitat for
species that require slower-moving water, such as some fish and aquatic plants.

Figure 5: Typical riffle-vs-pool areas in a river system. Source: http://www.life-inhabit.it/cnr-irsa-

activities/en/cnr-irsa-activities-related-inhabit/sampling-methods/wadable-rivers/pool-riffle

5. CONCLUSION

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The objective of the report was to determine the processes and factors that contribute to
the shape and features of the Nabukavesi river, and using the methodologies and data
collected; there are various fluvial processes that affect the Nabukavesi river system. As the
river system reaches its end, it begins to form meanders along its course, and at these
meanders – deposition and erosion occurs as water slows down or speeds up, respectively.
In addition, river channel processes such as abrasion, traction, saltation, and suspended load
were observed and attributed to the fact that rocks found in the river varied in size and
were either angular or rounded. Furthermore, by monitoring the velocity of the water in
riffle and pool areas in the river system, it was determined that the gradient, volume of flow
and channel width affect the velocity of the water.

Bibliography

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Galvin, S. (2023). Rivers & Landform I. Retrieved from University of the South Pacific:
https://elearn.usp.ac.fj/pluginfile.php/114701/mod_resource/content/2/GE101_Lecture
%2012_Rivers%20and%20Landforms%20I_Small.pdf

Galvin, S. (2023). Rivers & Landforms II. Retrieved from University of the South Pacific:
https://elearn.usp.ac.fj/pluginfile.php/114701/mod_resource/content/2/GE101_Lecture
%2012_Rivers%20and%20Landforms%20I_Small.pdf

Hudson Institute of Mineralogy. (2023). Nabukavesi Creek. Retrieved from Mindat.org:

https://www.mindat.org/feature-2202317.html

The British Geograph. (2014). River Lanforms. Retrieved from The British Geographer :
http://thebritishgeographer.weebly.com/river-landforms.html