GEOL 100 Chapter Notes - Chapter 16.10: Mississippi Embayment, Sea Level Rise, Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line

• School: University of Maryland
• Department: Geology
• Course: GEOL 100
• Professor: Centorbi

Document Summary

Streams flow from source to base level as long as enough water and slope are available to maintain downstream flow. A stream"s life can begin or end due to changes in: Water and sediment supply at the source. The river and its tributaries eroded across a series of cenozoic sedimentary layers with the river incising a valley when sea level was low. Originated from precambrian continental rifting, which thinned the crust and set the stage for the river"s formation. Subsequent sea level rise decreased the river"s gradient. The river deposited sediment, filling the excavated valley to its present level. Formed since the retreat of the last ice sheets, 10,000 years ago. During the last ice age, ice sheets and glaciers covered the northern half of north. America, so this northern river did not exist. Weight of the ice sheets depressed the crust, causing large regions to slope northward.