Flu-vial erosion and deposition shape landscapes as sediment particles are eroded by stream velocity, transported downstream, and deposited based on their size and the stream's flow.
According to the diagram, a sediment particle with a diameter of 0.1mm lying on the bottom of a stream flowing at a velocity of 100cm/s would be eroded and transported downstream by the stream. This is because the velocity of the stream is higher than the minimum velocity required to erode particles of that size.
The diagram shows the relationship between the diameter of the sediment particles and the velocity of the stream. The diagram is divided into three regions: erosion, transportation, and deposition. The erosion region is where the stream velocity is high enough to erode the sediment particles and move them downstream.
The transportation region is where the stream velocity is just right to keep the sediment particles suspended in the water and move them downstream. The deposition region is where the stream velocity is too low to keep the sediment particles suspended in the water and they settle on the bottom of the stream.
The diagram also shows the typical sizes of different types of sediments, such as clay, silt, sand, gravel, pebbles, cobbles, and boulders. The smaller the sediment particles, the lower the velocity needed to erode them.
The larger the sediment particles, the higher the velocity needed to erode them. For example, clay particles can be eroded by a stream velocity of 0.01 cm/s, while boulders require a stream velocity of 1000 cm/s to be eroded.
Therefore, a sediment particle with a diameter of 0.1mm, which is in the sand category, would be eroded by a stream velocity of 100cm/s, which is in the erosion region of the diagram.
The particle would then be transported downstream by the stream until the velocity decreases enough to deposit it on the bottom of the stream. This process is called flu-vial erosion and deposition and it shapes the landscape by creating features such as river channels, floodplains, deltas, and allu-vial fans.