This stream carries sediment that has weathered from mountains in Alaska.
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of Bruce Molnia, Terra Photographics

Step 2: Sediments on the Move!

If you sneeze into a pile of dust the little particles fly everywhere, but if you sneeze into a pile of rocks, they will stay put. It takes more force than a sneeze to move those rocks. Winds and water can have enough force to move rocks.

Very small pieces of sediment like mud and clay are picked up very easily by moving wind and water. But they can settle to the bottom of calm lakes or to the ground when the air or water stops moving.

Larger pieces of sediment can be carried in a stronger current, like fast moving water. Sediment that can sink to the bottom in a fast moving river must be very large and heavy.

Last modified August 25, 2003 by Lisa Gardiner.

You might also be interested in:

Cool It! Game

Check out our online store - minerals, fossils, books, activities, jewelry, and household items!...more

Wind

Wind is moving air. Warm air rises, and cool air comes in to take its place. This movement creates the winds around the globe. Winds move at different speeds and have different names based on their speed....more

Rivers

Rivers are very important to Earth because they are major forces that shape the landscape. Also, they provide transportation and water for drinking, washing and farming. Rivers can flow on land or underground...more

Step 2: Sediments on the Move!

If you sneeze into a pile of dust the little particles fly everywhere, but if you sneeze into a pile of rocks, they will stay put. It takes more force than a sneeze to move those rocks. Winds and water...more

Step 3: Sediments Settling Down!

When water or wind slows down, sediment can no longer be carried in it. The particles of sediment fall through the water or air and form a blanket of sediment on the bottom of a river, a lake, ocean,...more

Living, Meandering River Constructed

Scientists have used a model of a river to learn more about how healthy rivers are formed. Healthy rivers have sections that are shallow, and other sections that are deep. These different types of water...more

Aquifer

An aquifer is the name for a layer of rock which is capable of holding a large amount of water. Some layers are better at holding water than others, for example a layer of sandstone can hold a good deal...more

Currents at the Coast

When waves get to the beach at an angle, water moves along the coast in a longshore current. Longshore currents grow stronger when the waves come towards the beach at a large angle, if the waves are large,...more

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA