CHANNEL PROCESSES- Transport processes

A river transports its load in four main ways:

• Traction– large stones + boulders are rolled along the river bed by water moving downstream. This mainly happens during periods of high discharge + consequently high energy levels.

• Saltation– small stones bounce or leap-frog along the channel bed. This process is associated with relatively high energy conditions. Small particles = thrust up from the bed of the river only to fall back to the bottom again further downstream. As these particles land = dislodge other particles upwards= more such bouncing movement to take place

• Suspension– very small particles of sand and silt are carried along by the flow of the river. Such material is not only carried but it is also picked up, mainly through the turbulence that exists within the river. Suspension = largest proportion of sediment to the load of the rover. The suspended load= main cause of the brown appearance of many rivers and streams

• Solution– dissolved minerals are transported with the mass of moving water