Classification[edit]
Sediment can be classified based on its grain size and/or its composition.
Grain size[edit]
Main article: Particle size (grain size)
See also: soil texture and Unified Soil Classification System
Sediment in the Gulf of Mexico
Sediment off the Yucatn Peninsula
Sediment size is measured on a log base 2 scale, called the "Phi" scale, which classifies particles by
size from "colloid" to "boulder".
scale
Size range
Size range
Aggregate class
(metric)
(inches)
(Wentworth)
Other names
< -8
> 256 mm
> 10.1 in
Boulder
-6 to -8
64256 mm
2.510.1 in
Cobble
-5 to -6
3264 mm
1.262.5 in
Very coarse gravel
Pebble
-4 to -5
1632 mm
0.631.26 in
Coarse gravel
Pebble
-3 to -4
816 mm
0.310.63 in
Medium gravel
Pebble
-2 to -3
48 mm
0.1570.31 in
Fine gravel
Pebble
-1 to -2
24 mm
0.0790.157 in
Very fine gravel
Granule
0 to -1
12 mm
0.0390.079 in
Very coarse sand
1 to 0
0.51 mm
0.0200.039 in
Coarse sand
2 to 1
0.250.5 mm
0.0100.020 in
Medium sand
3 to 2
125250 m
0.00490.010 in
Fine sand
4 to 3
62.5125 m
0.00250.0049 in
Very fine sand
8 to 4
3.962.5 m
0.000150.0025 in
Silt
Mud
>8
< 3.9 m
< 0.00015 in
Clay
Mud
>10
< 1 m
< 0.000039 in
Colloid
Mud
Composition[edit]
Composition of sediment can be measured in terms of:
parent rock lithology
mineral composition
chemical make-up.
This leads to an ambiguity in which clay can be used as both a size-range and a composition
(see clay minerals).
Sediment transport[edit]
Sediment builds up on human-made breakwaters because they reduce the speed of water flow, so the stream
cannot carry as much sediment load.
Glacial transport of boulders. These boulders will be deposited as the glacier retreats.
Main article: Sediment transport
See also: Rouse number
Sediment is transported based on the strength of the flow that carries it and its own size, volume,
density, and shape. Stronger flows will increase the lift and drag on the particle, causing it to rise,
while larger or denser particles will be more likely to fall through the flow.
Fluvial processes: rivers, streams, and overland flow[edit]
Particle motion[edit]
Rivers and streams carry sediment in their flows. This sediment can be in a variety of locations
within the flow, depending on the balance between the upwards velocity on the particle (drag and lift
forces), and the settling velocity of the particle. These relationships are shown in the following table
for the Rouse number, which is a ratio of sediment fall velocity to upwards velocity.
where
is the fall velocity
is the von Krmn constant
is the shear velocity
Hjulstrm curve: The velocities of currents required for erosion, transportation, and deposition (sedimentation)
of sediment particles of different sizes.
Mode of Transport
Rouse Number
Bed load
>2.5
Suspended load: 50% Suspended
>1.2, <2.5
Suspended load: 100% Suspended
>0.8, <1.2
Wash load
<0.8
If the upwards velocity approximately equal to the settling velocity, sediment will be transported
downstream entirely as suspended load. If the upwards velocity is much less than the settling
velocity, but still high enough for the sediment to move (see Initiation of motion), it will move along
the bed as bed load by rolling, sliding, and saltating (jumping up into the flow, being transported a
short distance then settling again). If the upwards velocity is higher than the settling velocity, the
sediment will be transported high in the flow as wash load.
As there are generally a range of different particle sizes in the flow, it is common for material of
different sizes to move through all areas of the flow for given stream conditions.
Fluvial bedforms[edit]
Main article: Bedform
Modern asymmetric ripples developed in sand on the floor of the Hunter River, New South Wales, Australia.
Flow direction is from right to left.
Sinuous-crested dunes exposed at low tide in the Cornwallis River near Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Ancient channel deposit in the Stellarton Formation (Pennsylvanian), Coalburn Pit, near Thorburn, Nova Scotia.
Sediment motion can create self-organized structures such as ripples, dunes, antidunes on the river
or stream bed. These bedforms are often preserved in sedimentary rocks and can be used to
estimate the direction and magnitude of the flow that deposited the sediment.
Surface runoff[edit]
Overland flow can erode soil particles and transport them downslope. The erosion associated with
overland flow may occur through different methods depending on meteorological and flow
conditions.
If the initial impact of rain droplets dislodges soil, the phenomenon is called rainsplash
erosion.
If overland flow is directly responsible for sediment entrainment but does not form gullies, it
is called "sheet erosion".
If the flow and the substrate permit channelization, gullies may form; this is termed "gully
erosion".
Key fluvial depositional environments[edit]
The major fluvial (river and stream) environments for deposition of sediments include:
Deltas (arguably an intermediate environment between fluvial and marine)
Point bars
Alluvial fans
Braided rivers
Oxbow lakes
Levees
Waterfalls
Aeolian processes: wind[edit]
Main article: Aeolian processes
Wind results in the transportation of fine sediment and the formation of sand dune fields and soils
from airborne dust.
Glacial processes[edit]
Glacial sediments from Montana
Glaciers carry a wide range of sediment sizes, and deposit it in moraines.