Growth of channel belts
Evolution of an experimental channel belt.
Channel belts are wide corridors of sediment created by the movement of a river over time, and form important aquifers. Yet our understanding of channel belts formed by braided rivers is relatively limited. To address this gap, we ran a set of large-scale experiments and developed a theoretical framework to reconcile how differences in discharge, bed slope, sediment grain size, and time affect channel belt growth. These results suggest several practical considerations for interpreting ancient fluvial deposits and subsurface aquifers. Collaboration with Vamsi Ganti’s group at UC-Santa Barbara has revealed new insights into the motion of channel scours and their implications for sedimentary architecture. This work was supported by the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund.
Publications
Limaye (2020), How do braided rivers grow channel belts?, Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface.
Wang et al. (2024), Topography-based particle image velocimetry of braided channel initiation, Water Resources Research.
Zhao et al. (2024), Scour depth variability controls channel-scale stratigraphy in experimental braided rivers, Journal of Sedimentary Research
Submarine channels and deposits
An experimental submarine landscape at St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, Univ. of Minnesota.
Submarine channels host sediment-laden density currents, which transport clastic sediment from continental margins to the deep ocean. To compare and contrast the morphodynamics and sedimentary deposits of rivers and submarine channels, we ran experiments in a custom basin to mimic both environments. The experiments suggest that compared to rivers, submarine channels develop both larger flow depths and slopes to transport a given sediment load. Read more about the setup at the Sediment Experimentalists Network Knowledge Base. Ongoing work led by collaborator Steven Lai (National Cheng Kung Univ., Taiwan) tests how discharge variations impact these submarine channels.
Publications
Limaye et al. (2018), Geometry and dynamics of braided channels and bars under experimental density currents, Sedimentology.
Huang et al. (2023), Confinement width controls the morphology and braiding intensity of submarine braided channels: Insights from physical experiments, Earth Surface Dynamics.