A genetic classification of floodplains

doi:10.1016/0169-555X(92)90039-Q

Geomorphology

Volume 4, Issue 6, April 1992, Pages 459-486

https://doi.org/10.1016/0169-555X(92)90039-Q Get rights and content

Abstract

Floodplains are formed by a complex interaction of fluvial processes but their character and evolution is essentially the product of stream power and sediment character. The relation between a stream's ability to entrain and transport sediment and the erosional resistance of floodplain alluvium that forms the channel boundary provides the basis for a genetic classification of floodplains. Three classes are recognised: (1) high-energy non-cohesive; (2) medium-energy non-cohesive; and (3) low-energy cohesive floodplains. Thirteen derivative orders and suborders, ranging from confined, coarse-grained, non-cohesive floodplains in high-energy environments to unconfined fine-grained cohesive floodplains in low-energy environments, are defined on the basis of nine factors (mostly floodplain forming processes). These factors result in distinctive geomorphological features (such as scroll bars or extensive backswamps) that distinguish each floodplain type in terms of genesis and resulting morphology. Finally, it is proposed that, because floodplains are derivatives of the parent stream system, substantial environmental change will result in the predictable transformation of one floodplain type to another over time.

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A genetic classification of floodplains

Abstract

Quat. Res.

Sed. Geol.

Aust. Geogr. Stud.

Trans. Inst. Br. Geogr. New Ser.

A Review of the origin and character of recent alluvial sediments

Sedimentology

A quantitative model of grain size and sedimentary structure in lateral deposits

Geol. J.

On the persistence of landscape features formed by a large flood

Trans. Inst. Br. Geogr. New Ser.

Channel plan changes following large floods

How do gravel rivers braid?

Can. J. Earth Sci.

An approach to the sediment transport problem from general physics

U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap.

Bed load transport by natural rivers

Water Resour. Res.

Stream channel response to floods with examples from central Texas

Bull. Geol. Soc. Am.

Recent findings on the physical development of the lower Severn valley

Geogr. J.

Alluvial plains of the Fly River, Papua

Z. Geomorph. Suppl.

Sedimentation in the meandering River Endrick

Scott. J. Geol.

Structure and depositional properties of some valley sandur deposits in southern Iceland

Sedimentology

Proglacial braided outwash: a model for humid alluvial fan deposits

Alluvial stratigraphy and radiocarbon dating along the Duck River, Tennessee: Implications regarding floodplain origin

Bull. Geol. Soc. Am.

Rate estimates to lateral bedrock erosion based on radiocarbon ages, Duck River, Tennessee

Geology

River flood regime and floodplain stratigraphy

Palaeochannel patterns inferred from alluvial deposits: a critical evaluation

J. Sed. Petrol.

A simulation model of alluvial stratigraphy

Sedimentology

Three-dimensional elemental floodplain sedimentology of the Squamish River, British Columbia

Sedimentology

Brahmaputra River: Channel migration and deposition

On the origin and characteristics of river form

J. Hydraul. Eng.

Floodplain deposits and accelerated sedimentation in the lower Severn Basin

Holocene floodplain diachronism and inherited downstream variations in fluvial processes; a study of the River Perry, Shropshire, England

J. Quat. Sci.

Erosion and sedimentation in the Papago country, Arizona

Bull. U.S. Geol. Surv.

Threshold of critical power in streams

Bull. Geol. Soc. Am.

Holocene alluviation in southeast England and some implications for palaeohydrological studies

Channel changes of the Gila river in Safford valley, Arizona, 1864–1970

U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap.

Geomorphology from the Earth

The Noon Hill flash floods, July 17th 1983: hydrological and geomorphological aspects of a major formative event in an upland landscape

Trans. Inst. Br. Geogr.

Formation of floodplain lands

J. Hydraul. Div., Am. Assoc. Civil Eng.

Observations on the meanderingbraided river transition, Canterbury Plains, New Zealand

N.Z. Geogr.

Observations on the meanderingbraided river transition, Canterbury Plains, New Zealand

N.Z. Geogr.

Bedload transport in gravel channels

J. Hydrol.

Gravel transport in the braided Waimakariri River: mechanisms, measurements and predictions

J. Hydrol.

Brahmaputra River: Channel processes and sedimentation

Sed. Geol.

Manual of Geology

Physical Geography

Channel and floodplain facies in a wandering gravel-bed river

Mechanics of flow and sediment transport in river bends

Structure of sedimentary deposits of braided rivers

Sedimentology

Hummocky stratification: significance of its variable bedding sequences: reply to discussion by R.G. Walker et al.

Bull. Geol. Soc. Am.

Humid Landforms

Step-functional analysis of long records of streamflow

Catena