Braided Rivers

Summary

Braided rivers are a highly dynamic type of river that form a branching network of channels extending out from a main channel. They are characterized by multiple alluvial channels with bars and islands.  Due to the fast-flowing waters, sediments found here are typically coarse-grained in size, however finer sediments can accumulate in the shallower areas, like bars and banks (Boggs, 2014). It has been suggested that braided rivers first begin forming from a straight river, when a submerged bar of coarse gravel is deposited in the middle of the stream after high flows. As time goes on, more sediment is deposited on the submerged bar, causing lateral growth. Eventually the growth of the bar reaches a point where it starts affecting the flow of the water, essentially splitting the flow like a wedge, causing the river to widen. As the bar become more stable, this effect become more dramatic, causing the creation of new off-shooting river channels (Garde , 2006). There are many types of bar associated with braided rivers. Some of them include longitudinal & linguoid bars, as well as point bars, side bars, and lateral bars (Castelltort, 2018).