Identification of Fluvial Landforms 1

Cerritos College Earth Science On-Line Tutorial Center

The word fluvial is used in earth science to refer to processes and landforms produced by running water.  As with other surficial processes, running water can either erode material from the earth's landscape, or deposit layers of sediment.  The resulting landforms can thus be classified as either erosional landforms or depositional landforms.

You should be able to identify and explain the significance of fluvial landforms from photographs, topographic maps and satellite images.  Begin this exercise with a look at the following image:

The image to the right is a false-color version of a side-looking radar image of part of the Mississippi River taken from the Space Shuttle.   When radar waves strike the surface of the earth, the amount of energy reflected is a function of the roughness of the land surface.  Smooth surfaces appear dark, while rough surfaces are much brighter.  Thus the water in this image is black.  Other radar signatures have been assigned colors according to the frequency and intensity of the reflections. Answer the questions below based on this image.

What is the name of the landform at the location marked A, and how does this landform originate?

What specific type of lake is the lake labeled B?  How did this lake form?

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