The Fluvial Geomorphology of the Upper Animas River Basin, Colorado

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dc.contributor.advisorFonstad, Mark A.en_US
dc.contributor.authorConyers, Mindy M.en_US
dc.contributor.committeeMemberButler, David R.en_US
dc.contributor.committeeMemberDixon, Richarden_US
dc.contributor.committeeMemberRast, Walteren_US
dc.date.accessioned2012-02-24T10:12:08Z
dc.date.available2012-02-24T10:12:08Z
dc.date.issued2011-08en_US
dc.description.abstractRecent research identifies mountain environments as especially important for monitoring environmental changes related to both global climate fluctuations and human activities. This dissertation contributes to the numerous studies on human-Earth relationships and addresses a lack of detailed knowledge of spatial relationships in small mountainous headwater basins. The specific research questions addressed herein include: Are the fluvial processes within the watershed representative of the fluvial forms? Can existing morphology classification schemes predict channel form from collected raw data? How do the sediments within the headwater streams reflect change through space? Data collected in the field from streams within the Upper Animas River basin combined with statistical techniques and the use of geographic information science software allowed for the determination of a basin-scale view of the fluvial forms and processes at work in this small mountain watershed. A multivariate analysis of historical mining effects on fluvial forms revealed a statistically significant relationship between mining activities and channel entrenchment. An investigation of the utility of existing channel classification systems detailed the difficulty of classifying the morphology of headwater streams and suggested that existing schemes should only be used in this basin with caution. Data on the river sediment landscape were calculated and mapped in order to investigate downstream spatial patterns. Analyses determined a weak relationship between channel roughness, sediment size, and sediment shape as compared to drainage area due perhaps to the unique nature of mountain streams and the extreme influence of coupled hillslope-fluvial processes. Overall the rivers of this basin are thought to be in a non-equilibrium state.en_US
dc.description.departmentGeography and Environmental Studies
dc.formatText
dc.format.extent264 pages
dc.format.medium1 file (.pdf)
dc.identifier.citationConyers, M. M. (2011). <i>The fluvial geomorphology of the Upper Animas River Basin, Colorado</i> (Unpublished dissertation). Texas State University-San Marcos, San Marcos, Texas.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10877/4579
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectFluvial geomorphologyen_US
dc.subjectMountain watershedsen_US
dc.subjectHuman impactsen_US
dc.subject.classificationGeographyen_US
dc.subject.lcshFluvial geomorphology--Researchen_US
dc.subject.lcshAnimas River Watershed (Colo. and N.M.)en_US
dc.titleThe Fluvial Geomorphology of the Upper Animas River Basin, Coloradoen_US
dc.typeDissertation
thesis.degree.disciplineGeographyen_US
thesis.degree.grantorTexas State University-San Marcos
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy

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