Erosional Landforms (Running water)

Running Water: Running waters are an essential geomorphic element in humid regions as they bring about significant degradation in the earth’s crust.

There are two parts of running water:

1- Global flow as a sheet.

2- Linear flow as rivers and streams in valleys.

Erosional Landforms (Running Water)

Valleys:

The valleys begin as small and narrow poles that will gradually grow into long and wide canals, and the channels will continue to deepen, widen, and lengthen for the valleys to increase.

 Types of Valleys: These are based on the size and shape, such as V-shaped valleys, gorge, etc.

• Gorge: A deep valley with steep slopes to the sides and almost wide at the top and bottom
• Canyon: It is characterized by steep slopes and may be as deep as a ravine. At the top, it is more comprehensive than the bottom

 The types of valleys depend on the type and structure of the rock on which they are formed, such as gullies usually formed on horizontal rocks and canyons formed on solid rock.

Potholes and Plunge Pools:

Potholes: These are small circular holes built over rocky mountain streams due to the erosion of rivers aided by the decline of rock fragments.

When mild and shallow stress is created, rocks and stones are collected in shallow areas and rotated by flowing water, and as a result, the reduced rocks grow in size.

• A series of these conditions eventually join, and the stream valley deepens.

Plunge Pools: These are large and deep holes at the bottom of the waterfalls. Large cisterns are formed under waterfalls due to the significant impact of water and rock rotation.

Incised or Entrenched Meanders:

Erosion is usually centered in streams flowing rapidly over gradients.

In the case of river flow, the erosion of the sides of the valleys is less severe compared to the streams flowing on the lower and sloping slopes. Streams flow over sloping slopes, growing abnormally or rotating due to active erosion.

Rotation routes are often found on floodplains and delta plains where gradients are very soft.

Reduced or fixed tubes: These are deep and wide curves that are found cut from hard rocks.

River Terraces

River plains are areas that mark the bottom of an old valley or flood levels. They may be underground rocks without alluvial cover or alluvial fields comprising stream deposits.

These are essentially the products of soil erosion due to the decline of a stream in its floodplain.

There may be several such fields at different heights indicating the pre-existing levels of river areas.

Paired Terraces: These river estates may occur in the same area on both sides of the rivers. 

Conclusion

Valleys, potholes, plunge pools and river terraces are some of the erosional landforms formed by running water above the surface of the earth. These takes long years to form and most of them even make attractive tourist sites.