Rivers: Shapers of the Land

This month wehave been studying how rivers, through deposition and erosion, have shaped the land around us. We took a field trip to a tributary of the Kinnypottle River that splits the Cavan Institute campus in two. We measured the speed of the stream by measuring the length of time it took an orange to pass between two poles, two metres apart. (photos to follow)

We collected samples of sediment from the stream-bed in jars to assess how much sediment and what type was deposited on the left-bank, mid-stream and the right-bank. As our photograph illustrates, the jar labelled 'Mid-Stream' shows the least sediment which is sandy and fine. That labelled 'Right-Bank' holds more sediment which is coarser, even containing some small stones. The jar labelled 'Left-Bank' contains most sediment which is muddier than the sediment found in the other jars. These findings were consistent with our study of river erosion and deposition in relation to the processes which form river features, in this instance meanders. The right bank sample was taken from the arc of a meander whilst the left bank sample was taken downstream and on the opposite side to another meander.