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Channels
[[Channel (geography)|Channel]] patterns are found in [[River|riversriver]]s, streams, and other bodies of water that transport water from one place to another. Systems of branching river channels dissect most of the sub-aerial landscape, each in a valley proportioned to its size. Whether formed by chance or necessity, by headward [[erosion]] or downslope convergence, whether inherited or newly formed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/rivers/stages.html|title=The Stages of a River|website=www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk|access-date=2017-05-16}}</ref> Depending on different geological factors such as weathering, erosion, depositional environment, and [[sediment]] type, different types of channel patterns can form.
Bedrock vs. Alluvial Channels
Braided Channels
There are a few distinctly different channel types based on their geological structure and [[Depositional environment|depositional]] environment. [[Braided river|Braided rivers]]s carry fairly coarse-grained sediment down a fairly steep gradient. They typically exhibit numerous channels that split off and rejoin each other to give a braided appearance. Additionally, the water [[Discharge (hydrology)|discharge]] tends to be highly variable. Consequently, braided rivers usually exist near mountainous regions, especially those with glaciers.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/489065099|title=Geology : an introduction to physical geology|last=Stanley|first=Chernicoff,|last2=L.|first2=Whitney, Donna|date=2007|publisher=Pearson Prentice Hall|isbn=0131474642|oclc=489065099}}</ref> These braided channels usually occur in [[Tectonics|tectonically active]] environments and have a larger sediment load due to varying water flow and discharge.
Anastomosed Channels
Often confused with braided channels, [[Anastomosis|anastomosing]] is reserved for a type of river with multiple, interconnected, coexisting channel belts on alluvial plains. Based on its geomorphology, saucer-shaped islands called [[Flood basin|flood-basins]] characterize anastomosing rivers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.geo.arizona.edu/geo5xx/geos544/pdfs/fluvial/makaske.pdf|title=Anastomosing rivers: a review of their classification, origin and sedimentary products|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=}}</ref> These channels are classified as a composite form of which the individual channel belts may have braided, [[Meander|meanderingmeander]]ing or [[Straight River (central Minnesota)|straight channels]]. Although similar to, and even encompass other channel types, anastomosed rivers are their own entity and have just begun to be studied by [[Geologist|geologistsgeologist]]s, revealing that much is still unknown.
[[Fluvial]] processes form several '''channel patterns''', including:
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
*Prothero, D. R. and Schwab, F., 1996, Sedimentary Geology, pg. 137-167, ISBN 0-7167-2726-9
[[Category:Geomorphology]]
[[Category:Fluvial landforms]]
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