Depositional Landforms of the Lower Course

Braidings
Braiding occurs when the river is forced to split into several channels
separated by islands. It is a feature if rivers that are supplied with large
loads of sand and gravel. It is most likely to occur when a river has
variable discharges. The banks formed from sand and gravel are generally
unstable and easily eroded. As a consequence, the channel becomes very
wide in relation to its depth. Braiding also occurs in environments in which
there are rapidly fluctuating discharges.

Levees
In its middle and lower courses,a river is at risk from flooding during times
of high discharge. If it floods, the velocity of the waterfalls as it overflows
the banks. This results in deposition, because the competence of the river
is suddenly reduced. It is usual for the coarsest material to be depoisted
firest, froming small raised banks (levees) along the sides of the channel.
Subsequent floods increase the size of these banks and further deposition
on the bed of the river also occurs. This means that the river, with channel
sediment build-up, now flows at a higher level than the floodplian. For this
reason, the authorities sometimes strengthen levees and increase their
height.
Flood Plains
Floodplains are created as a result of both erosion and deposition,
although the accumulation of river deposits suggests that they are
predominately depositional features. They are relatively flat areas of land
either side of the river, which form the valley floor in the middle and lower
courses of the river. They are composed of alluvium - river deposited silts
and clays. Over time, a floodplain becomes wider and the depth of
sediment accretions increases. The width of the floodplain is determined
by the amount of meander migration and lateral erosion that has taken
place. Lateral erosion is most powerful just downstream of the apex of the
meadner bend. Over time, this results in the migration of
meanders, leaving their scars clearly visisble on the floodplain.
Interlocking spurs are eventually removed by lateral erosion in the middle
course, leaving behind a bluff line and widening the valley. the depth of
the alluvial deposits depends partly on the amount of flooding in the past,
so floodplain creation is linked to extreme events. Over time, point bars
and old meanders scars become incorporated into the floodplain, adding
to the alluvial deposits. These become stabilised by vegetation as the
meanders migrate and abandon their former courses.
Deltas
A delta is a feature of deposition, located at the mouth of a river as it
enters a sea or lake. Deposition occurs as the velocity and sediment-
carrying capacity of the river decrease on entering the lake or sea, and
bedload and suspended material are dumped. Flocculation occurs as fresh
water mixes with seawater and clay particles coagulate due to chemical
reaction. The clay settles on the river bed.
Deltas form only when the rate of deposition exceeds the rate of sediment
removal. In order for a delta to form the following conditions are likely to
be met:
The sediment load of the river is very large, as in the Mississippi and Nile
rivers
The coastal are into which the river empties its load has a small tidal
range and weak currents. This means that there is limited wave action
and, therefore, little transportation of sediment after deposition has taken
place. This is a feature of the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean Sea
Deltas are usually composed of three types of deposit:
The larger and heavier particles are the first to be deposited as the
river loses its energy. These form the topset beds
Medium graded particles travel a little further before they are
deposited as steep-angled wedges of sediment, forming the foreset beds
The very finest particles travel furthest into the lake before
deposition and from the bottomset beds

Deltas can be described according to their shape. The most commonly

recognised is the characteristic arcuate delta, for example the Nile delta,
which has a curving shoreline and a dendritic pattern of drainage. Many
distributatries break away from the main channel as deposition within the
channel itself occurs causing the river to braid. Longshore drift keeps the
seaward edge of the delta relatively smooth in shape. The Mississippi has
a bird's food delta. Fingers of deposition build out into the sea along the
distributaries' channels, giving the appearance from the air of a bird's
claw. A cuspate delta is pointed like a cup or tooth and is shaped by
gentle, regular, but opposing, sea currents or longshore.