Prediction of stream channel erosion potential

Baylor University, Department of Geology, Waco, TX, United States

Field tests using a submerged jet apparatus were conducted to determine the erodibility coefficients in alluvial soils along stream channels. The soils tested ranged from cohesive clay soils to non-cohesive sandy soils. In addition to performing the jet test at thirty sample sites, laboratory tests on soil samples taken from each site were done to determine soil bulk density, antecedent soil moisture, Atterburg limits, and grain size distribution. Regression analysis was performed on these parameters against the erodibility coefficient to assess whether laboratory testing could be used to extend the submerged jet test results upstream and downstream. Best results were obtained with equations stratified by percent clay and soil activity with multiple correlation coefficients ranging from 0.78 to 0.96. Preliminary efficiency of the equations was 64 percent (coefficient of determination .71) when compared to an independent data set. Use of the erosion coefficient in a stream channel degradation model is shown.

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