Cut bank
A cut bank, also known as a river cliff or river-cut cliff, is the outside bank of a curve (meander) in a water channel (stream), which is continually undergoing erosion.[1] Cut banks occur on the outer side of meander bends, opposite the point bar or slip-off slope on the inner side.[2] They are shaped much like a small cliff, and are formed as the stream collides with the river bank.[3] It is the opposite of a point bar, which is an area of deposition of material eroded upstream in a cut bank.[4]
Typically, cut banks are steep and may be nearly vertical.[5][6] Erosion can undercut a cut bank and cause masses of bank material, trees, and vegetation to collapse or slide into the river; flooding and bank erosion can also damage nearby property and structures.[7][8] Given enough time, the combination of erosion along cut banks and deposition along point bars can lead to the formation of an oxbow lake.[4]
Not only are cut banks steep and unstable, they are also the area of a stream where the water is flowing the fastest and often deeper.[9] The greater velocity and energy of flow along the outer bend produces erosion of the cut bank.[10]
See also
[edit]- Bank erosion – Marginal wear of a watercourse
- Point bar – Landform related to streams and rivers
- Slip-off slope – Depositional landform on the inside convex bank of a meandering river
References
[edit]- ↑ Essentials of Geology, 3rd Ed, Stephen Marshak
- ↑ "Chapter 5: Rivers" (PDF). MIT OpenCourseWare. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. pp. 240–241. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ "Find-A-Feature: Meander". U.S. Geological Survey. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Fluvial Features—Meandering Stream". National Park Service. U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ Johnson, Scot. "Recreational Boating Impact Investigations: Upper Mississippi River System, Pool 4, Red Wing, Minnesota" (PDF). Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center. National Biological Survey, Environmental Management Technical Center. p. 9. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ Howle, James F.; Alpers, Charles N.; Bawden, Gerald W.; Bond, Sandra. "Quantifying the Eroded Volume of Mercury-Contaminated Sediment Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning at Stocking Flat, Deer Creek, Nevada County, California, 2010–13" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey Publications Warehouse. U.S. Geological Survey. p. 15. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ Scott, Kevin M. (1982). Erosion and Sedimentation in the Kenai River, Alaska (PDF) (Report). Professional Paper. U.S. Geological Survey. pp. 26–28. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ Stogner, Robert W. Sr. (2000). Trends in Precipitation and Streamflow and Changes in Stream Morphology in the Fountain Creek Watershed, Colorado, 1939–99 (PDF) (Report). Water-Resources Investigations Report. U.S. Geological Survey. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ Bingman, Judy Mae. "Protect streambanks with erosion-control practices". Illinois Extension. University of Illinois Extension. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ "Course Changes of the Mississippi River". National Park Service. U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- Tarbuck, E. J. and F. K. Lutgens. Earth, 7th Edition. Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 2002. pp. 279, 286.
| Large-scale features | |
|---|---|
| Alluvial rivers | |
| Bedrock river | |
| Bedforms | |
| Regional processes | |
| Mechanics | |
