Monitoring tracer stones through the potholes of Fall Creek Gorge near Williamsport, Indiana

We document coarse sediment transport through Fall Creek Gorge, a bedrock channel step-pool system with deep and complex pothole structures located in western Indiana. Tracer clasts are embedded with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags using our new highly successful and efficient method for drilling holes into small (~ 10 mm) clasts. Repeated surveys of bed topography record deposition and erosion of sediment within potholes. Tracer clasts introduced upstream of the potholes were transported through the reach over a period of a few weeks: we see no evidence for individual coarse sediment particles having long residence times within potholes. Initial transport of tracer clasts was accompanied by a spatially extensive aggradational event. We develop a conceptual model for coarse sediment transport within Fall Creek gorge in which potholes are filled with fine sediment (sand and gravel) prior to initiation of coarser sediment transport. The fine sediment creates a temporary bridge allowing coarse particle to move through the reach without becoming trapped within potholes. We are in the early developmental stages for testing this model in a flume.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Geology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Slaven, Samuel

Contributors dc:contributor

• Anders, Alison M.

• Potholes
• Step-pool system
• Tracer stones
• Radio frequency identification (RFID) tracer stones
• Tracer clasts
• coarse sediment transport
• Fall Creek Gorge
• Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tracer stones

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2013 Samuel Slaven

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/44237

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/44237