Articles | Volume 6, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1011-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-1011-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Uniform grain-size distribution in the active layer of a shallow, gravel-bedded, braided river (the Urumqi River, China) and implications for paleo-hydrology
GET, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, IRD, UPS, Toulouse, France
Laurie Barrier
Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris – Sorbonne Paris Cité,
Université Paris Diderot, CNRS, UMR 7154, Paris, France
Youcun Liu
School of Resources and Environmental Engineering,
Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou 341000, China
Clément Narteau
Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris – Sorbonne Paris Cité,
Université Paris Diderot, CNRS, UMR 7154, Paris, France
Eric Lajeunesse
Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris – Sorbonne Paris Cité,
Université Paris Diderot, CNRS, UMR 7154, Paris, France
Eric Gayer
Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris – Sorbonne Paris Cité,
Université Paris Diderot, CNRS, UMR 7154, Paris, France
François Métivier
Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris – Sorbonne Paris Cité,
Université Paris Diderot, CNRS, UMR 7154, Paris, France
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- Measuring the grain‐size distributions of mass movement deposits E. Harvey et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5337
- Comparison of three grain size measuring methods applied to coarse-grained gravel deposits P. Garefalakis et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2023.106340
- Riverbed armoring and sediment exchange process in a sand–gravel bed reach after the Three Gorges Project operation L. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11600-019-00391-2
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- Compositional and Numerical Geomorphology Along a Basement–Foreland Transition, SE Germany, with Special Reference to Landscape-Forming Indices and Parameters in Genetic and Applied Terrain Analyses H. Dill et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences15020037
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- Automated detecting, segmenting and measuring of grains in images of fluvial sediments: The potential for large and precise data from specialist deep learning models and transfer learning D. Mair et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5755
- Characterizing braided rivers in two nested watersheds in the Source Region of the Yangtze River on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Z. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2019.106945
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13 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Automated riverbed composition analysis using deep learning on underwater images A. Ermilov et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1061-2023
- Quantifying Torrential Watershed Behavior over Time: A Synergistic Approach Using Classical and Modern Techniques A. Petrović et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/earth7010001
- Measuring the grain‐size distributions of mass movement deposits E. Harvey et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5337
- Comparison of three grain size measuring methods applied to coarse-grained gravel deposits P. Garefalakis et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2023.106340
- Riverbed armoring and sediment exchange process in a sand–gravel bed reach after the Three Gorges Project operation L. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11600-019-00391-2
- Controls on the grain size distribution of landslides in Taiwan: the influence of drop height, scar depth and bedrock strength O. Marc et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-995-2021
- Size, shape and orientation matter: fast and semi-automatic measurement of grain geometries from 3D point clouds P. Steer et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-1211-2022
- ImageGrains 2.0: Improved precision and generalization for grain segmentation D. Mair et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-527-2026
- Compositional and Numerical Geomorphology Along a Basement–Foreland Transition, SE Germany, with Special Reference to Landscape-Forming Indices and Parameters in Genetic and Applied Terrain Analyses H. Dill et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences15020037
- Identifying key operational stages of the HPP reservoir through sediment transport: a case study of the Vrhovo-Boštanj HPP chain L. Javornik et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/15715124.2025.2590673
- Automated detecting, segmenting and measuring of grains in images of fluvial sediments: The potential for large and precise data from specialist deep learning models and transfer learning D. Mair et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5755
- Characterizing braided rivers in two nested watersheds in the Source Region of the Yangtze River on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Z. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2019.106945
- Multi-proxy evidence for the initiation of Yellow River integration through Sanmen Gorge at ∼1.8 Ma: Insights from borehole YJ-1 in the Yuncheng Basin, Fenwei Graben T. Huang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.113965
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 08 Sep 2026
Short summary
The grain-size distribution of ancient alluvial systems is commonly determined from sections of gravel deposits exposed vertically to reconstruct paleo-environments or changes in tectonics and/or climate. To test whether such a grain-size distribution is equivalent to one of the sediments that was in direct contact with the flow at the time of deposition, we dug a large trench in an active gravel-bedded, braided river. We show that the granulometry is uniform at the scale of the active layer.
The grain-size distribution of ancient alluvial systems is commonly determined from sections of...