Braided Streams Here’s one of my favorite fluvial features: braided streams. The intricate net
Braided Streams Here’s one of my favorite fluvial features: braided streams. The intricate network of joining, separating, and rejoining channels is what makes a stream braided. The braided channels shown here are part of the Brahmaputra River, which runs through Tibet. Most braided streams form when a stream is “incompetent” or carries too much sediment. The excess sediment is deposited in sand bars that separate the channels, thus creating the intertwined look. Braided streams are especially common in glacial areas (where they often carry glacial melt laden with sediment) and in areas with variable seasonal flow. This particular river carries a lot of glacial flour, or very fine sediment that was powdered by glaciers—nature’s icy version of a mortar and pestle. -CMPhoto credit and more information: NASAhttps://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/astronauts_eyes/iss003e6632.html -- source link
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