Uncover the Secrets of Bedrock Channels

Bedrock channels are paths that are eroded and cut through bedrock, or foundations of solid rock.

Alluvium channels are paths that are eroded and cut through loose sediment, while bedrock channels are paths that are eroded and cut through solid rock.

The two processes that can form bedrock channels are erosion by running water and erosion by ice.

When running water hits something, its energy gets transformed into some other form, such as work.

Stream power is the rate of energy loss on a channel bed that can lead to erosion.

Water can cut channels through hard structures, like earth and rock.

The main topics covered in this lesson are bedrock channels, their formation process, and stream power.

Bedrock is a solid foundation of rock that is usually covered by loose soil and sediments called alluvium. It is significant in channel formation because channels cut through bedrock are not as free to adjust compared to those formed in alluvium.

Abrasion is the erosion that occurs when particles scrape against each other. It contributes to the formation of bedrock channels by causing the walls of the channel to erode as sediment particles carried along tumble and scrape against the bedrock walls.

Plucking, also known as quarrying, is a process of forming bedrock channels that involves the erosion and transport of large chunks of rock. It occurs when moving glaciers melt and seep into cracks and joints of the bedrock, causing the rock to weaken. If the weakened rock fragments are picked up or plucked from their foundation by the glacier, they are carried and contribute to the formation of bedrock channels.

Stream power is the rate of energy loss on a channel bed that can lead to erosion. It relates to channel erosion by explaining how channels are cut through hard structures like bedrock. Higher stream power can result in greater erosion and the formation of bedrock channels.

Alluvium and loose sediments provide channels with the ability to adjust because they can be easily pushed aside or deposited. Channels cut through alluvium are more free to adjust compared to those cut through bedrock, which has a solid confinement.

Some of the interesting rock features formed by abrasion include potholes.

Plucking contributes to abrasive erosion by allowing frozen chunks of rock and sediment clinging to the bottom of a glacier to scrape along the landscape as the glacier moves. This perpetuates the abrasive erosion process.

It is harder to cut through bedrock compared to alluvium because bedrock is a solid foundation of rock, while alluvium consists of loose sediments that can be easily pushed aside. Bedrock is more resistant to erosion and requires more energy to cut through.