Final answer:
Saltation is the sediment transport process involving particles making a series of leaps or bounces off the bottom of a streambed. It plays a crucial role in landscape formation through erosion and deposition.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of sediment transport that involves a series of leaps or bounces off the bottom of a streambed is known as saltation. This process occurs in mediums such as water and air and is a key component in shaping landscapes through erosion and deposition. As particles are lifted by the fluid flow, they travel a short distance and then return to the ground, where they may dislodge other grains and cause them to begin saltating, resulting in a chain reaction of sediment movement. Saltation is one of several methods of sediment transport, others including suspension (fine particles carried within the flow), and traction (particles rolled or slid along the bottom). Marine environments demonstrate this through graded bedding and cross-bedding structures that record the direction and energy of past sediment movement.
In the context of marine environments, powerful underwater currents known as turbidity currents can carry large volumes of sediment downslope in a phenomenon that results in graded bedding. This is found in turbidite sedimentary deposits where sediment grains are sorted by density, with coarser materials at the bottom of the deposit and finer materials at the top, indicating a decrease in transport energy over time. On the other hand, cross-bedding is a sedimentary structure that indicates the past direction of wind or water transport, as seen in ripples or dunes. These structures demonstrate the power of environmental forces in shaping sedimentary deposits and the geologic record. Along coastlines, sediment transport by wave action involves well-sorted materials showing the dynamic nature of these environments.