What is Fluvial terrace?
[[File:Устье Чуи.jpg|thumb|231x231px|Fluvial terrace]] '''Fluvial terrace''' is an abandoned [[floodplain]] with a long, narrow [[stairs]] that were formed when the river flowed at a higher level than at present. Fluvial terraces consist of two parts; a [[tread]], which is the flat surface at the upper side of fluvial terrace, and a [[scarp]], which is the steep slope connecting the tread to the downside. == Classification == Fluvial terraces are divided into [[Rock (geology)|Rock]] terraces or [[gravel]] terraces according to structure [[Material|materials]]. They are classified as [[Tectonic uplift|Tectonic]] terraces or [[Climate]] terraces depending on how they were formed. [[File:FluvialTerraces.jpg|thumb|491x491px|Cross section of Fluvial terrace]] [[Erosion|Erosional]] terraces are terraces where the tread has been formed primarily by [[lateral erosion]]. During a low water level stage, fine [[sediment]] is deposited and coarse sediment is deposited at the end of a high water event. When the river reaches its highest level, it moves all the channel sediment and scours the underlying bedrock before coarse [[detritus]] is deposited again on the channel floor. Depositional terraces are terraces where the tread represents the surface of a [[valley fill]]. Valley filling occurs when the amount of sediment produced in a basin is more than the river system can carry away. It is usually triggered by [[glacial]] outwash, [[climate change]], or change in base level, slope, or load caused by rising water level. Depositional terraces are climatically controlled. Erosional terraces are tectonically controlled..<ref>M. S. Rawat, ''Environmental Geomorphology and Watershed Management: A Study from Central Himalaya'' (New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company, 2011), p. 126</ref> == References == {{reflist}} [[Category:Landforms]]