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short period, such as, after glaciation, or for a very long time if the conditions do not change. The fill terrace is created when the conditions change again and either a stream or river starts to incise into the material that it deposited in the valley. Once this occurs benches composed completely of alluvium form on the sides of the valley. The upper most benches are the fill terraces. As it continues to cut down through the alluvium the fill terraces are left above the river channel (sometimes 100 m or more). The fill terrace is only the very highest terrace resulting from the depositional episode; if there are multiple terraces below the fill terrace, these are called "cut terraces".
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Fluvial terraces can be used to measure the rate at which either a stream or river is downcutting its valley. Using various dating methods, an age can be determined for the deposition of the terrace. Using the resulting date and the elevation above its current level, an approximate average rate of
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in origin. Once the alluvium deposited in the valley has begun to erode and fill terraces form along the valley walls, cut terraces may also form below the fill terraces. As either a stream or river continues to incise into the material, multiple levels of terraces may form. The uppermost being the
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which causes the valley, that was down cut by either a stream or river, to be filled in with material (Easterbrook). The stream or river will continue to deposit material until an equilibrium is reached and it can transport the material rather than deposit it. This equilibrium may last for a very
208:
through bedrock. As the flow continues to downcut, a period of valley widening may occur and expand the valley width. This may occur due to an equilibrium reached in the fluvial system resulting from: slowed or paused uplift, climate change, or a change in the bedrock type. Once downcutting
193:
Nested fill terraces are the result of the valley filling with alluvium, the alluvium being incised, and the valley filling again with material but to a lower level than before. The terrace that results for the second filling is a nested terrace because it has been “nested” into the original
58:
all over the world. They consist of a relatively level strip of land, called a "tread", separated from either an adjacent floodplain, other fluvial terraces, or uplands by distinctly steeper strips of land called "risers". These terraces lie parallel to and above the
174:
Hypothetical valley cross-section illustrating a complex sequence of aggradational (fill) and degradational (cut and strath) terraces. Note ct = cut terrace, ft = fill terrace, ft(b) = buried fill terrace, fp = active floodplain, and st = strath
71:
or river was flowing at a higher elevation before its channel downcut to create a new floodplain at a lower elevation. Changes in elevation can be due to changes in the base level (elevation of the lowest point in the fluvial system, usually the
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continues the flattened valley bottom composed of bedrock (overlain with a possible thin layer of alluvium) is left above either a stream or river channel. These bedrock terraces are the strath terraces and are erosional in nature.
358:
239:. They occur when it downcuts evenly on both sides and terraces on one side of the river correspond in height with those on the other side. Paired terraces are caused by
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occur when either a stream or river encounters material on one side that resists erosion, leaving a single terrace with no corresponding terrace on the resistant side.
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of a tributary, causing that tributary to erode toward its headwaters. Terraces can also be left behind when the volume of the fluvial flow declines due to changes in
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31:
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along the length of either a stream or river, gradually lowering its elevation. For example, downcutting by a river can lead to increased
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of highly variable thickness. River terraces are the remnants of earlier floodplains that existed at a time when either a
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in origin and may be able to be identified by a sudden change in alluvium characteristics such as finer material.
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Cut terraces, also called "cut-in-fill" terraces, are similar to the fill terraces mentioned above, but they are
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channel and its floodplain. Because of the manner in which they form, fluvial terraces are underlain by fluvial
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235:: Terraces of the same elevation on opposite sides of either a stream or river are called
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268: – Long, relatively narrow land bounded by distinctly steeper slopes above and below
30:"River terrace" redirects here. For river terraces in tectonic–climatic interaction, see
154:. The valley may fill with alluvium for many different reasons including: an influx in
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224:, 1923. The river at left has encountered a formation of erosion-resistant volcanic
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terraces based upon the relative elevations of the surface of these terraces.
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Fluvial responses to climate and sea-level change, a review and look forward.
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Elongated terraces that flank the sides of floodplains and river valleys
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Both fill and strath terraces are, at times, described as being either
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Fill terraces are the result of an existing valley being filled with
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Wohl, E., ed., Treatise of
Geomorphology. New York, NY: Elsevier.
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fill terraces and the remaining lower terraces are cut terraces.
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139:. In 1884 the stream ran at top of the terrace. 1939 photo by
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Strath terraces are the result of either a stream or river
135:
Eroded alluvial fill 60 feet (18 m) thick at Kanab Creek,
1421:
862:
89:
274: – Feature of the solid surface of a planetary body
282:
Pages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
403:
401:
388:
2nd
Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
336:, 6th Edition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
112:
Fill terraces sometimes are further subdivided into
216:Unpaired fluvial terraces on the South Fork of the
194:alluvium and created a terrace. These terraces are
398:
380:
378:
376:
374:
76:) of the fluvial system, which leads to headward
1684:
407:Burbank, D.W., and R.S. Anderson, Robert, 2001,
332:Leet, L.D., S. Judson, and M.E. Kauffman, 1982,
312:
310:
34:. For the neighborhood in Washington, D.C., see
454:
104:There are two basic types of fluvial terraces,
371:
346:
280: – Large tableland in Kantō region, Japan
32:River terraces (tectonic–climatic interaction)
440:
307:
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447:
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328:
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88:, typical of areas which were covered by
320:Sedimentology. v. 47 suppl. 1, pp. 2-48.
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169:
130:
1046:International scale of river difficulty
323:
14:
1685:
96:, and their adjacent drainage basins.
428:
316:Blum, M., and T.E. Tonqvist, 2000,
24:
25:
1714:
411:Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing
386:Surface Processes and Landforms,
304:Reinhold Book Company, New York.
1203:Flooded grasslands and savannas
352:Pazzaglia, Frank J., in press,
256:downcutting can be determined.
250:
141:United States Geological Survey
36:River Terrace, Washington, D.C.
302:Encyclopedia of Geomorphology.
13:
1:
287:
1369:Universal Soil Loss Equation
1319:Hydrological transport model
1213:Storm Water Management Model
233:Paired and unpaired terraces
7:
384:Easterbrook, Don J., 1999,
259:
10:
1719:
873:Antecedent drainage stream
29:
1703:Water and the environment
1637:
1609:River valley civilization
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1492:Riparian-zone restoration
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300:Fairbridge, R. W., 1968,
1672:Countries without rivers
1647:Rivers by discharge rate
1359:Runoff model (reservoir)
1324:Infiltration (hydrology)
99:
47:that flank the sides of
1344:River Continuum Concept
1109:Agricultural wastewater
409:Tectonic Geomorphology,
355:9.2.3 Fluvial Terraces,
1667:River name etymologies
1594:Hydraulic civilization
1452:Floodplain restoration
1228:Point source pollution
1003:Sedimentary structures
229:
176:
144:
1279:Discharge (hydrology)
1241:Industrial wastewater
722:Sedimentary processes
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191:Nested fill terraces:
173:
134:
1384:Volumetric flow rate
968:Riffle-pool sequence
222:Park County, Wyoming
114:nested fill terraces
1558:Whitewater kayaking
1553:Whitewater canoeing
1354:Runoff curve number
1198:Flood pulse concept
1584:Aquatic toxicology
1497:Stream restoration
1462:Infiltration basin
1314:Hydrological model
830:Sediment transport
653:Estavelle/Inversac
531:Subterranean river
361:2010-08-01 at the
241:river rejuvenation
230:
177:
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92:during periods of
1693:Fluvial landforms
1680:
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1657:Whitewater rivers
1563:Whitewater slalom
1394:River engineering
1294:Groundwater model
1255:River measurement
1183:Flood forecasting
998:Sedimentary basin
855:Fluvial landforms
760:Bed material load
536:River bifurcation
278:Musashino Terrace
245:Unpaired terraces
137:Kane County, Utah
16:(Redirected from
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1642:Rivers by length
1477:River morphology
1379:Wetted perimeter
1284:Drainage density
795:Headward erosion
624:Perennial stream
496:Blackwater river
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110:strath terraces.
41:Fluvial terraces
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18:Alluvial terrace
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1304:Hjulström curve
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1041:Helicoidal flow
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541:River ecosystem
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511:Channel types
509:
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491:Braided river
489:
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417:0-632-04386-5
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395:
394:0-13-860958-6
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368:
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349:
343:
342:0-13-669762-3
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181:
180:Cut terraces:
172:
168:
165:
162:or change in
161:
157:
153:
149:
142:
138:
133:
129:
127:
123:
119:
118:cut terraces.
115:
111:
107:
106:fill terraces
97:
95:
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83:
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70:
66:
62:
57:
54:
50:
46:
42:
37:
33:
19:
1662:Flash floods
1614:River cruise
1511:River sports
1364:Stream gauge
1349:Rouse number
1339:Relief ratio
1188:Flood-meadow
1119:Urban runoff
1033:Fluvial flow
1018:River valley
988:River island
953:Meander scar
927:
868:Alluvial fan
810:Progradation
685:Karst spring
629:Winterbourne
584:Chalk stream
546:River source
521:Distributary
408:
385:
354:
348:
333:
317:
301:
296:
254:
251:Applications
244:
236:
232:
231:
201:
200:
196:depositional
190:
189:
179:
178:
164:stream power
147:
146:
125:
121:
117:
113:
109:
105:
103:
40:
39:
1523:Fly fishing
1447:Fish ladder
1432:Daylighting
1151:Flash flood
1114:First flush
1061:Plunge pool
785:Downcutting
770:Debris flow
745:Aggradation
619:Stream pool
206:downcutting
49:floodplains
1687:Categories
1629:Wild river
1309:Hydrograph
1299:Hack's law
1264:Baer's law
1208:Inundation
1193:Floodplain
1133:stormwater
1091:Whitewater
963:Oxbow lake
800:Knickpoint
775:Deposition
668:Hot spring
609:Streamflow
599:Stream bed
516:Confluence
288:References
160:glaciation
94:glaciation
1599:Limnology
1548:Triathlon
1518:Canyoning
1487:Revetment
1417:Check dam
1329:Main stem
1086:Waterfall
973:Point bar
958:Mouth bar
898:Billabong
845:Water gap
840:Wash load
820:Saltation
740:Anabranch
663:Holy well
551:Tributary
184:erosional
65:sediments
1402:Aqueduct
1269:Baseflow
1236:Effluent
913:Cut bank
878:Avulsion
755:Bed load
735:Abrasion
359:Archived
272:Landform
260:See also
175:terrace.
156:bed load
152:alluvium
126:unpaired
82:velocity
45:terraces
1579:Aquifer
1572:Related
1528:Rafting
1056:Meander
1051:Log jam
1013:Thalweg
918:Estuary
790:Erosion
727:erosion
639:Springs
594:Current
561:Streams
501:Channel
464:springs
460:streams
226:breccia
158:due to
86:climate
78:erosion
56:valleys
53:fluvial
1374:WAFLEX
1246:Sewage
1129:Floods
1071:Riffle
1066:Rapids
1008:Strath
978:Ravine
903:Canyon
658:Geyser
589:Coulee
574:Bourne
569:Arroyo
472:Rivers
456:Rivers
415:
392:
340:
122:paired
69:stream
1472:Levee
1457:Flume
1412:Canal
1156:Flood
1076:Shoal
943:Gully
938:Gulch
908:Chine
893:Bayou
750:Armor
702:Ponor
477:lists
100:Types
61:river
1502:Weir
1467:Leat
1131:and
1023:Wadi
983:Rill
948:Glen
933:Gill
883:Bank
725:and
690:list
673:list
644:list
579:Burn
462:and
413:ISBN
390:ISBN
338:ISBN
116:and
108:and
51:and
1422:Dam
888:Bar
863:Ait
365:in
243:.
124:or
90:ice
1689::
458:,
400:^
373:^
325:^
309:^
220:,
646:)
642:(
479:)
475:(
448:e
441:t
434:v
143:.
20:)
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