CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF ECUADOR

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING IN GEOLOGY, MINING, PETROLEUM, AND ENVIRONMENTAL

DEGREE IN GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING

MEANDERING FLUVIAL SYSTEM

Sebastián Estrada, Cecibel Parión

School of Geology, Faculty of Engineering in Geology, Mining, Petroleum and Environmental, UCE
Quito, Ecuador.

I. INTRODUCTION
Meandering River System
River systems are complex with a
innumerable phenomena, factors y
dependencies. It is defined by the action of water in Meandering river systems tend
movement, for the energy of water and for the to be confined to a main channel that presents
set of erosion, transport and sedimentation a sinuosity greater than 1.5. In these systems, the
in the same environment. Additionally, these systems the slope gradient is much lower, and the
they depend heavily on the conditions sediments involved in the load of the
climatic. The fluvial deposits are currents are finer. Some occur as
consist of sediments that accumulate to independent systems, others may represent
starting from the activity of the rivers. These deposits a gradual change (downstream) of a
they are generated in various climatic conditions, braided river system; commonly the
from desert to glacial, however, in large meandering river systems develop
function of its sinuosity (length of at its mouth deltaic systems of
channel/length of the valley) three are recognized deposit. Some authors prefer to call
well-defined river systems: river system highly sinuous river system of this type
braided, meandering river system river system (Miall, 1987).
(meandering), and anastomosing river system
(anastomosing) (Fig. 1). It also includes
within the classification of fluvial deposits to
the processes of gravitational sliding
associates (alluvial fan system).

Fig. 2 Meandering river

a. Deposit processes
The main morphological elements
of a system of meandering rivers is the channel
main, the tip bars, the edges
Fig. 1 Different types of channels within the natural, the floodplains, the lakes
river systems. laterals, and the overflow areas. Since in these
systems the sediments accumulate due to the
action of the main channel and flooding
periodic of the adjacent plain, the deposits that flood the plain adjacent to the canal. These
they are associated with these morphological elements: deposits tend to develop little thickness, and
commonly contain large amounts of
plant material; likewise, they present a
moderate bioturbation.
Overflow deposits: These deposits
they are generated when the waters of the current
they manage to break the walls that the
confinement. Sedimentation by traction and
suspension occurs quickly when the water
Fig. 3 Morphological characteristics of a system loaded, with both coarse and fine material,
meandering river.
loses its ability to transport it, giving
as a result, graded deposits.
Channel deposits: They are deposits
Lateral lake deposits: They consist of
generally composed of thick material that
fine sediments, clays and mud, that have been
rivers can move or transport during the
introduced to the side lakes during the
periods of maximum energy. This material
includes gravel, logs, or other vegetative material from
flooding seasons. They are commonly
laminates, and they may have remnants of
large dimensions, and partially mud
plants, as well as ostracods and aquatic mollusks
consolidated that has been eroded from the
sweet.
canal walls. They tend to be deposits of
lenticular shape, where the most characteristic
it is the imbrication of clasts that they present.
b. Characteristics of sediments
Point Bar Deposits: These
deposits are generated in the inner parts of Sedimentation within systems
the curves of the channel from a spiral flow of meandering rivers takes place almost
simultaneously at all the mentioned places
that is created at that point. Due to this flow,
previously, either about the channel or about the
the coarser grains tend to be deposited
floodplain. When the river channel
in the basal parts of the bar, and the sediments migrates due to its erosive action, the different
fines at the top, resulting in the system environments also migrate
a sequence of decreasing size of laterally and the sediments deposited in
grain up to the tip bar. The continuous environments start to overlap. Thus,
structure sedimentary primary more as a result of the meandric action, the
characteristic of point bar deposits thick deposits of the channels tend to
it is the concave cross stratification, both of underlie sandy sequences that
small as large scale. they decrease their grain size upwards
(tip deposits), which in turn
Onboard Deposits: These deposits are underlie muds and clays of the deposits of
develop in the concave portion of the curve that floodplain. From this point on,
they delimit the meanders. They are thicker and give the typical model for a river system
of coarser grain near the channels, and it meandrics (Fig.4) that was proposed by Allen
they become finer as one advances towards the (1970), being taken up by various authors who
floodplain. Fine sands with they have carried out work on this river system
horizontal stratification and current ripples (Cant, 1978 and 1982; Walker and Cant, 1984;
Galloway, 1985; Fraser, 1989; Boggs, 1989;
that lie beneath laminated muds, are very
among others).
common in wall deposits.
Floodplain Deposits:
They are made up of fine sediments.
deposited by suspension from the waters
 Fig. 5 Correlation between stratigraphic sections
uplift and reconstruction of sedimentary media.
Internal fan.
«braided». c.-Abanico externo. d. Fluvial
meander-like (p-proximal; di-distal) e. Plain
lutitica. f. Charcas in the lutitic plain. g. Lake

Deposits of transition braided

In fig. 6C, it shows a
positive sequence that starts with a
conglomerate package with wall
clearly erosive and ends with a level of
clays with carbonate nodules of type
edaphic.
Fig. 4 Typical sequence of decrease in size
from grain upwards in the system deposits
urinary riverine.

This model consists of a sequence of

decrease in grain size upward that
starts with a basal conglomerate on a
erosion surface. This basal unit is
replaced by stratified sands
concave crossbar of a pointed bar, whose
grain size decreases upwards; some
sands with parallel lamination can be
presents as lenticular bodies (accretion
lateral). The top part of the model is
characterized by the sludges and clays of the
floodplain deposits that
Fig. 6 Profiles of the sections of figure 5.
they contain remnants of roots, desiccation cracks,
and possibly bioturbation structures
-Deposits of rivers meander-shaped
(vertical accretion).
They correspond to the classic point bar model.
ANALYSIS OF THE FACIES (Allen, 1964, 1970), with two types:

The meandric deposits within a basin a) The first one (cut 6) with banks
sedimentary they have relationships laterals and conglomerates of
verticals with other sedimentary media (Fig. conglomerates/fine materials close to
5). the unit. It is about fairly channels
mobiles that migrate laterally with great
 speed (mobile-channel belt, Friend, 1983) ✓ Low clay percentage, evidenced
changing position and overlapping in seismic records due to a low GR.
one over the other, originating bodies more or
Mother Rock:
less multi-constructed tabular in the
that the different constituent units There is also parallel lamination training.
they show evidence of lateral accretion. of clays in the floodplains and shales
(Puigdefabregras and Van Vliet, 1978). at the top of these sequences which are responsible
of multi-stratified deposits. It could be
b) The second (cut 7) is characterized by a consider the shales as a possible source rock
younger thickness of the banks since in these there is an accumulation of roots and
conglomerates of larger grain size the formation of coal.
fine (fine aggregates) and coarse
development of the plain facies of Trap:
flood. The conglomerate bodies Meandering channels cut through the pre-deposits.
they are ribbon type that reflect the filling existing forming discordances what
of isolated and quite stabilized channels they constitute an interesting type of trap
(fixed-channel; Friend, 1983). In relation stratigraphic.
with these channels we have found
levee deposits (fig. 6E) well
developed.
Example in the Eastern Basin:
IV. DISCUSSION
PETROLEUM SYSTEM Arajuno Training
Rock Reservoir: It mainly blooms on the banks of the Napo River and the
Arajuno River. This formation is constituted by
Because meandering rivers form
mainly by fine to coarse sandstones,
deposits in the form of belts constituted by
intercalated conglomerates with siltstones and
individual meander bars connected and
reddish clays. In the sandstones, they have
these sand belts known as belts
found lithofacies of type St (Sand, fine to
Meander rocks are considered good rocks.
very thick. It can be pebbly) and Sh (Sand,
reservoirs. In well profiles, the deposits of
It ends very thick. It can be pebble-like). In the
meander bars are characterized by units of
conglomerates have only been found facies
sand with an abrupt base, which show
corresponding to transport processes of
cylindrical or bell shape in the curve of
sediments by traction (Gh, Gp, Gs, Gt). That
gamma rays, which indicates uniformity in the
the coexistence of LA and DA elements demonstrates
size del grain o degrowth
that the river style of the Arajuno Fm.
respectively, between these units there
corresponded to a wandering type system of
they present intercalations of muddy deposits of
low sinuosity with coarse sediment load,
the floodplain.
where conglomerates have been found 'Serious!”}
Reservoir Characteristics: Wandering, and with sandy load meanders
low sinuosity 'Sandy Meandering' where the
✓ Decreasing stratum and grain sequences the granulometry is lower.
✓ Intergranular porosity is predominant.
✓ Thick bodies of stacked channels
✓ Porosities reaching 20%
✓ Good draw
✓ Thicknesses of more than 50 m.
✓ High permeability, up to 1000 mD.
✓ Rounded to subrounded clasts and
with good sphericity.
 The formation of this type of lithology
make them considered good
hydrocarbon deposits, having
mainly the sandbars as rock
reservoir, channel migration generating
cross stratification would form traps
stratigraphic and mudstones as seal rock.

VI. Bibliography:

• D. Miall, 1996. The Geology of Fluvial

Deposits
and Petroleum Geology.

Fig 6. Sedimentological columns of the formations • H. E. Reineck, I.B. Singh, 1980.

Neogenes of the Oriente Basin. Taken from Baby et al. Depositional Sedimentary Environments.
all. 2004
• FUECHTBAUER, H. & MUELLER, G. (
1970): Sediments and sedimentary rocks.
V. Conclusions Swiss beard; Stuttgart
- The systems meandrics they are • FÜCHTBAUER, H. (1988): Sediments
characterized by being high channels and sedimentary rocks. - 1141 pages, 660
curvatures formed in low areas
figures and 110 tables; Swiss beard;
pending generated by the following
deposits: meander bars, fan of Stuttgart.
break, natural dam and floodplain.
• PRESS, F. & SIEVER, R. (1986): Earth.
The lithology of these systems consists of 656 pages, W.H. Freeman and Company
Medium to fine grain sands, mudstones in more
o less the same proportion • Rossmässler, E.A. (1863): The
conglomerates, coals, and limestones with History of the Earth. - 408 pages, 87
concretions in smaller proportion. They are figures; Leuckart Publishing, Breslau.
common the conglomerates at the base of the
channels. The fine-grained sediments • Baby, P. (2004). Baby, P., (2004). The
they occur as channel fillers and in the Oriente Basin: Geology and Oil. (1st
floodplain and sequence with edition). Quito: (Ed.) Scientific Publishers.
decreasing grain trends towards the
top (bell shape in SP records and
Gamma Ray) giving it a bell shape.
The structures sedimentological
mainly generated in the sand bars
which consists of an erosive base,
covered by pebbles or clay fragments,
about which medium sand is found at
thick with cross-stratification, this it
makes it finer at the top where it presents
crackling and parallel lamination with clays.