Fluvial Cycle of Erosion

Fluvial Cycle of Erosion

• During its career, a stream goes through three clear stages: youth, adulthood, and old age.

Youth

• Some streams that come after it already exist, and some that come after it are trying to make valleys by randomly wearing away at the sides.
• Some of these slopes may look like "Vs." How deep these areas are varies based on how high they are above sea level.
• The breaks between streams are wide, long, uneven, and may have lakes.
• Features like rapids, water falls, canyons, and river grabs are what make this place unique.
• Most of the time, there is no floodplain, but there may be one along the main stream.
• Overall, the comfort is very uneven.

Maturity

• At this stage, the drainage system is well integrated, and a few streams are trying to make their way through softer beds.
• Horizontal erosion, which never stops, is what creates steep slopes. It has a lot of meanders, and the valley floor width is wider than the meander belt width.
• The breaks between streams are sharp, and the grassland gets smaller.
• It does not have any rapids or waterfalls.
• Developing floodplains is a big deal. Overall, there is maximum comfort.

Old Age

• There are more streams than when they were young, but fewer when they are older.
• As more sediment is added, valley widening takes over.
• There are a lot of meanders and oxbow lakes, and the floor width is wider than the meander belt width.
• There are a lot fewer breaks between streams. There may be lakes and fields.
• The different floodplains come together to make a penplain.
• At the mouth of the river, delta development is a sign of old age.
• The main problem is mass wasting, and there isn't much improvement to be seen generally.

IMAGE SOURCE (THUMBNAIL)