Source to Sink If the mountains fell in the sea let it be Jimi Hendrix Erosion Fall mountains just don t fall on me Jimi Hendrix Erosion Transport Class Concept Rivers and beaches are part of sediment transfer systems Erosion Transport Deposition Framework Dynamic Earth Surface Processes Produce Transport and Store Sediment Water is the driver of Nature Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci studied the topography of the Arno River basin drew the first contour map of a whole river basin and believed that rivers carved their valleys and shaped topography Italian and French hydraulic engineers developed the study of rivers in the late 17th century to address flooding problems along rivers draining the Alps Della Natura de Fiumi First Book on Rivers was published by Domenico Gugleilmini in 1697 Nature has formed such a connection between mountains and rivers that in describing one we are unavoidably led to speak of the other Jeremy Belknap History of New Hampshire 1792 p 55 Source Source Rivers are the circulatory system of landscapes They carry away runoff and sediment eroded from hillslopes Rivers and beaches are part of sediment transfer systems What forms them What are the processes that maintain them Why are there different types of rivers and beaches What are they what controls their distribution across Earth and how are they related We ll use 1 equation in this class I O S Input minus output equals change in storage Also known as conservation of mass means change in something Inputs to Rivers Soil production Soil creep and erosion by runoff Landsliding Sediment eroded by glaciers Sediment transferred from upstream rivers Outputs from Rivers Water Sediment Dissolved constituents Organic material wood and other dead stuff Inputs to Beaches Sediment delivered to the coast by rivers Coastal erosion Wave action Outputs from Beaches Sediment moved offshore by wave action Sediment moved along shore by wave action The Big Picture The Rock Cycle In order for there to be mountains rocks must be uplifted above sea level If uplift continued unopposed there would be no limit to how high mountain ranges can get Erosion counter balances rock uplift Mountain streams receive material from hillslopes and transport it to rivers Rivers transport material to the coast Near shore processes redistribute sediment along beaches and coastlines Types of beaches reflect differences in sediment sources and transport The Rock Cycle Material eroded from mountains enters streams and rivers and is delivered to coastal environments from where it is moved to deeper sedimentary basins that get shoved back into mountains through processes of rock uplift The Rock Cycle Erosion in the Rock Cycle What we see as rivers and beaches are rest stops for sediment moving through the eroding half of the rock cycle Framework for this Class Rock uplift Mountains Mountains Mountain Streams Mountain Streams Rivers Rivers Estuaries Estuaries Beaches Beaches Off shore depositional basins Off shore depositional basins Rock uplift
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