Evolution of an advancing gravel front: observations from Vedder Canal, British Columbia

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

FERGUSON, R.I.

Dep. of Geography, Univ., Durham, Royaume-Uni

BLOOMER, D.J.

Cumbria County Council, Royaume-Uni

CHURCH, M.

Dep. of Geography, Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

Description :
The new channel (Vedder Canal) had a fine bed and a much lower slope than the gravel-bed river immediately upstream. Changes in morphology and sedimentology as gravel advanced into and along the Canal are documented using air photos, historical surveys, and fieldwork. The channel aggraded and steepened until stabilized by occasional gravel extraction in recent decades. The deposited material fines progressively along the Canal but the gravel front has retained an abrupt appearance because it has advanced by the sequential development of discrete gravel tops on initially sandy alternate bars. Calculations show that even though the gravel bed at the head of the Canal is almost unimodal, size-selective transport during floods can account for the strong bimodality farther downstream.

Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Earth surface processes and landforms, issn : 0197-9337, 2011, vol. 36, n°. 9, p. 1172-1182, nombre de pages : 11, Références bibliographiques : 1 p.

Date :
2011

Editeur :
Pays édition : Royaume-Uni, Chichester, Wiley

Langue :
Anglais