This document discusses various topics related to running water and drainage systems on Earth. It provides details on the water cycle and hydrologic cycle, describing how water moves between the oceans, atmosphere, and land. It also discusses different types of drainage patterns associated with geological features, and how landforms such as valleys, canyons, deltas, and alluvial fans are formed by the erosive power of running water over long periods of time. Monitoring of water levels and flood risks is important for managing water resources and mitigating hazards.

1. RUNNING WATER
Physical Geology
The Walker School

2. Distribution of Earth’s Water
 1.36 billion km3 of water on Earth

3. Hydrologic Cycle
Water Characteristics
•Flow
•Viscosity
•Infiltration Capacity
•Gradiant
Fig. 15-3, p. 460

4. Water Cycle Statistics
 85% of water enters the atmosphere each year
from the upper 1 m layer of the ocean through
evaporation.
 80% of the Earth’s precipitation falls back into the
oceans.
 36,000 km3 falls on land each year and eventually
returns to the oceans.

5. Laminar Flow
Fig. 15-4a, p. 461

6. Turbulent Flow
Streamlines are the paths taken by water molecules.
Fig. 15-4b, p. 461

7. Stream Gradient
Water moves more
slowly with greater
turbulence near a
channel’s bed and
banks because of
friction.
Fig. 15-5, p. 462

8. Running Water, Erosion and Sediment
Transport
Sediment from talus cones.
Sediment loading from a river’s banks.
Fig. 15-7b, p. 464

9. Sediment Transport and Deposition
Note:
1. Bed Load
2. Suspended Load
3. Dissolved Load
Fig. 15-9a, p. 466

10. Relation to Particle Size and Density
Fig. 15-9b, p. 466

11. Fig. 15-9, p. 466

12. Braided Stream
Grinelwald, Switzerland
Develop when
sediments exceed
transport capacity.
Characterized by
broad, shallow
channels and bed-
load transport.
Fig. 15-10b, p. 467

13. Meandering Streams
Deposits are
mostly mud
deposits on
flood plains.
Fig. 15-11, p. 468

14. Flood Plain Deposits
Natural levees build up by
repeated deposition of sediments
during numerous floods.
Fig. 15-14, p. 471

15. Marine Delta – Stream Dominated
Mississippi River
delta on the U.S. Gulf
Coast is stream
dominated.
Fig. 15-16a, p. 472

16. Mississippi Delta Formation
Erosion over
millions of years
produced 7
different alluvial
fans which add
land mass to the
continent.
p. 495

17. Marine Delta – Wave Dominated
Nile delta is wave
dominated.

18. Marine Delta – Tide Dominated
Ganges delta is tide
dominated.

19. Alluvial Fans and their Deposits
 Formed during periodic rain
storms.
 Surface run-off is typically
funneled into mountain canyons.
 The run off is confined so it can’t
spread latterly.
 Repeated deposits create alluvial
fans.

20. Types of Floods
Flash flood in West, VA.
Table 15-1, p. 474

21. Why do people build in flood zones?
 Fertile soils
 Level surfaces
 Proximity to water for agriculture and industry.
Fig. 15-18, p. 474

22. WHAT TECHNOLOGY IS USED
TO MONITOR WATER LEVELS?

23. USGS Water Monitoring
http://water.usgs.gov/

24. Real Time Water Data
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/rt

25. Samples Hydrograph
Fig. 15-19, p. 475

26. Flood Frequency Curve
Note: Meteorologists
typically watch for 2, 5,
10, 20 and 100 years
floods.
Fig. 15-20b, p. 475

27. Flood of 1993
 Caused by
intersection of the
jet stream and air
masses over the
Midwest.
 Responsible for 50
death and
displaced 70,000
people.
Concept Art, p. 476

28. World’s Largest Floods
http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2004/circ1254/

29. HOW CAN TECHNOLOGY BE
USED TO CONTROL
FLOODING?

30. Flood Control Methods
 Dams and Reservoirs
 Levees
 Floodways
 Floodwalls
Fig. 15-21a, p. 478

31. World Drainage Basin
 An area which a stream or river and its tributaries
carry all surface runoff.

32. Ocean Drainage Basins
 The Atlantic Ocean drains approximately 47% of
all land in the world.
 The Pacific Ocean drains just over 13% of the land
in the world.
 The Arctic Ocean basin drains most of Western and
Northern Canada east of the Continental Divide.
 The Indian Ocean drains around 13% of the Earth's
land.
 The Southern Ocean drains Antarctica.

33. River Basins
 The three largest river
basins (by area), in order
of largest to smallest,
include the Amazon basin,
the Congo basin, and the
Mississippi basin.
 The three rivers that drain
the most water, from most
to least, are the Amazon,
Congo , and Ganges
Rivers.

34. Mississippian Drainage Basin
Fig. 15-22b, p. 480

35. Endorheic Drainage Basins
 Inland basins that do not
drain into an ocean;
 18% of all land drains to
endorheic lakes or seas.
 The largest of these consists
of much of the interior of
Asia, and drains into the
Caspian Sea and the Aral
Sea.
 Evaporation is the primary
means of water loss
 Water is typically more Aral Sea Drainage Basin
saline than the oceans.

36. Types of Drainage Systems
1. Dendritic Drainage
2. Rectangular Drainage
3. Trellis Drainage
4. Radial Drainage
5. Deranged Drainage
Fig. 15-23, p. 481

37. WITH WHAT GEOLOGICAL
FEATURES ARE DRAINAGE
SYSTEMS ASSOCIATED?

38. Drainage Patterns and Geology
Dentritic Drainage Erosion Deposits
Rectangular Drainage Regional Joint Systems
Trellis Drainage Folded Sedimentary Rock
Radial Drainage Volcanoes
Swamps and Lakes
Deranged Drainage

39. Canyons and Gorges
 Most canyons were formed by a
process of long-time erosion from a
plateau level.
 The cliffs form because harder rock
strata that are resistant to erosion
and weathering remain exposed on
the valley walls.
 Canyons are much more common in
arid areas than in wetter areas
because weathering has a greater
effect in arid zones.
 A canyon may also refer to a rift
between two mountain peaks such as
those in ranges such as the Rocky
Mountains, the Alps, the Himalayas
or the Andes
Grand Canyon, AZ.

40. Largest Canyons
 Grand Canyon in
Arizona, USA
 Copper Canyon in
Chihuahua, Mexico
Copper Canyon, Mexico

41. Deepest Canyons on Earth
 The Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon, along the
Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, China
 Kali Gandaki Gorge in Nepal
 Polung Tsangpo Canyon in Tibet
 Cotahuasi Canyon (3,535 m deep and
the deepest in the Americas)
 Hell’s Canyon on the Snake River in
Idaho, which is 2400 meters deep
 The Tekezé gorge (2000m+ deep and
deepest in Africa)
 Grand Canyon while the largest canyon
in area is only 900 meters deep.
Hell’s Canyon, ID

42. HOW DO VALLEYS
EVOLVE?

43. Processes Involved in Valley Formation
 Downcutting
 Lateral Erosion
 Sheet Wash
 Headward Erosion
 Mass Wasting
Downcutting off the San Juan River

44. Evolution of a Valley – Part I
The stream widens
its valley by lateral
erosion and mass
wasting, while
simultaneously
extending its valley
by headward
erosion.
Fig. 15-28a, p. 486

45. Evolution of a Valley – Part II
As the larger stream
continues to erode
headward, stream
piracy takes place
when it captures
some of the
drainage of the
smaller stream.
Fig. 15-28b, p. 486

46. Stream Piracy
 Occurs when headward erosion breaches a divide
and diverts some or all of the drainage of another
stream system.
The Hadhramawt Plateau of
South Yemen exhibits a
complex dendritic drainage
pattern and excellent examples
of quot;stream piracy”.
B
A. - Wadi Hadhramawt opens
into the sand-filled Ramlat
Sabatayn in the southwest
corner of the Rub-al-Khali (The A
Empty Quarter), B - yet
drainage is toward the sea.