Depositional Landforms

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Braided Streams

• Depositional Landforms

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Braided Streams

• A braided stream has islands/eyots of deposited
  material within the channel.
• The deposited material causes small channels that
  intertwine with the eyots.
• Rapid evaporation and infiltration after periods
  of heavy rainfall can lead to deposition of the
  load.

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Formation

• Braiding is caused by fluctuations in discharge
  levels, low river velocity and also by the stream
  or river losing
• Capacity- optimum load which can be carried
• Competence- the maximum size or weight of the
  load which can be carried. Braided streams occur
  in areas where the transported load contains a
  high amount of coarse material such as sands and
  gravel
• The load is deposited within the river channel,
  forming small islands and splitting the river
  into a series of smaller channels.

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(Braided river in southern Alaska.)
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A type of stream made up of many small
interconnecting channels, separated by small
islands of deposited material, known as eyots.
EYOTS
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(Braided river at junction of Gakona and Copper
River, Alaska)
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Main Characteristics

• Small islands or eyots of deposited material
  within the channel.
• A network of small intertwining channels converge
  and diverge around the eyots.
• At times of high discharge, braided streams carry
  a large load of coarse material.
• Braiding is a characteristic of streams with a
  variable discharge