Water changes the landscape. Fast flowing currents pickup objects and carry them along. Where the water slows the sediment falls. On a bend in a river both processes can occur in the same place.
The distance round the outside of a bend is further than the distance on the inside so the water travels faster on the outside of a bend. The faster flowing water picks up material from the outside of bend and erodes the river bank. On the inside of the bend any material in suspension in the water may be deposited.
Over a long period of time the river will move in the direction of the outside of the bend. On a flood plain like Shepherds Meadow this process is occurring all along the river and the course of the river will gently change over many years. When the river is in flood there is more water in the river channel and the effect will be greater as the water is flowing faster.
The River Blackwater is a small river and changes course slowly. Larger rivers such as the Ganges in India or the Mississippi in the USA can change course dramatically, particularly after floods
The co-ordinates take you to a spot near the bank of the River Blackwater so be careful if you have small children with you. The path to the location is hard gravel and, I am told, suitable for wheelchairs. Now for you tasks:
Q1. Estimate the distance to the water level from the top of the bank?
Q2. Given that in Summer the height of the banks here is about 2m, do you think that the rate of erosion will be high or low at the time of your visit?
Q3. Is the water flowing faster near the nearer bank or the far bank?
Q4. So if you stood at this spot in a few hundred years would your feet still be dry? Explain your reasoning.
Send your answers to me through my profile; don’t put your answers in your log.
Please take care near the water if you have small children with you.
This cache has been set with the approval of Bracknell Forest Parks and Countryside.
Congratulations to AmayaTom for FTF.
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