A depositional model for meandering rivers without land plants

The recognition of meandering rivers in Earth's prevegetation stratigraphic record is hindered by an absence of depositional models specifically tailored to unvegetated single‐channel rivers. As a result, their abundance on the early Earth is currently unknown. Here, sedimentological studies of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sedimentology 2023-12, Vol.70 (7), p.2272-2301
Main Authors: Hasson, Michael, Marvin, M. Colin, Gunn, Andrew, Ielpi, Alessandro, Lapôtre, Mathieu G. A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accretion
Alluvial
Arid environments
Aridity
Clumps
Current meandering
Deposition
dryland
Earth
facies
Flocculation
Floodplains
fluvial
Fluvial deposits
Meandering
Paleohydrology
pre‐vegetation
Recognition
River banks
River meanders
Rivers
Sand
Satellite imagery
Stratigraphy
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Summary:The recognition of meandering rivers in Earth's prevegetation stratigraphic record is hindered by an absence of depositional models specifically tailored to unvegetated single‐channel rivers. As a result, their abundance on the early Earth is currently unknown. Here, sedimentological studies of two modern meandering river reaches with unvegetated banks were conducted. Both reaches are located in arid basins of Nevada, USA. Stratigraphy was analysed in conjunction with satellite imagery and high‐resolution topographic data to understand how channels and floodplains record past flow conditions. Analyses of point‐bar and channel‐fill deposits showed that lateral accretion sets are not heterolithic but, rather, composed of mixed sand and sand‐sized mud aggregates (clumps of clay and silt) interpreted to have formed through flocculation. Levées are present but subdued. Notably, downstream‐migrating outer‐bank‐attached bars are prominent architectural features that may be common in unvegetated meandering rivers in arid landscapes elsewhere. The identification of such depositional elements in the stratigraphic record may enhance recognition of ancient unvegetated meandering rivers and improve reconstructions of palaeohydrology on early Earth and Mars.
ISSN:0037-0746
1365-3091
DOI:10.1111/sed.13121