Title: Role of tree dams in the construction of pseudo-terraces and variable geomorphic response to floods in Little River valley, Virginia
Abstract: Research Article| August 01, 1987 Role of tree dams in the construction of pseudo-terraces and variable geomorphic response to floods in Little River valley, Virginia R. Craig Kochel; R. Craig Kochel 1Department of Geology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Dale F. Ritter; Dale F. Ritter 1Department of Geology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jerry Miller Jerry Miller 1Department of Geology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information R. Craig Kochel 1Department of Geology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901 Dale F. Ritter 1Department of Geology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901 Jerry Miller 1Department of Geology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1987) 15 (8): 718–721. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1987)15<718:ROTDIT>2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation R. Craig Kochel, Dale F. Ritter, Jerry Miller; Role of tree dams in the construction of pseudo-terraces and variable geomorphic response to floods in Little River valley, Virginia. Geology 1987;; 15 (8): 718–721. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1987)15<718:ROTDIT>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Geomorphic response to a 1985 flood in Little River valley, northern Virginia, was different in magnitude and style from the largest historic flood in the same valley in 1949. The primary geomorphic activity during the 1985 flood was severe bank erosion and channel-gravel deposition rather than the debris flow and avalanching of the 1949 event. An unusual and widespread phenomenon of the recent flood was that large trees eroded and transported by the floodwater were aligned parallel to the river banks and, at isolated sites, were braced and stacked against trees still standing on the floodplain. Lateral barriers or dams created from these displaced trees allowed the channel to be locally aggraded above the level of the flood-plain. In these reaches, little, if any, river gravel was deposited on the floodplain, even though the adjacent channel floor was raised well above that surface. The river has now shifted around the filled segments, leaving flat, isolated surfaces, underlain by channel gravel, standing above the level of the modern floodplain. These features may be mistaken for terraces alter they become vegetated and the trees bracing the gravels decay. Interpreting these surfaces to be terrace remnants would lead to a faulty reconstruction of geomorphic history in the Little River valley and other valleys where floodplain morphology is controlled by infrequent flood events. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.
Publication Year: 1987
Publication Date: 1987-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 45
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