My name is Zoltan Sylvester, I am a sedimentary geologist and I work as a researcher at the Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin. All opinions and views expressed by me on this blog are only mine, may change with time, and have nothing to do with my employer or any group of people.
Hindered Settling
random notes of a skeptical geologist
Hindered Settling 
Fascinatng site. My name is Rob Davinroy, I am a river enigneer for the government. Here is a paper you night find interesting. These small scale models can develop point bars and three dimensional flow and sediment response seen on large rivers. Would be interested in any input from you Mr. Zoltan. Thanks. Here is the paper:http://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/pa/Hydraulic%20Sediment%20Response%20Modeling%20Replication%20Accuracy%20TPM53.pdf
Oh my! Simply chasing down a photo on the web led me here, and now I can’t remember what I was chasing in the first place. Wondrous site, wondrous geo-philosophy — wiping coffee off monitor following reading of your comment on molasse. Will be back once I remember what I was after in the first place.
Would like to contact you directly (email) to ask permission to use a drawing for an article I’m writing regarding reading rivers for oil spill containment booming. Please let me know the best way to make contact. Thank you.
Hi Joel — you can contact me at zoltan_dot_sylvester_at_gmail_dot_com.
This blog is fantastic. Amazing photography and fascinating science.
– procrastinating sedimentology grad student.
I would like to know if the course of the Rio Grande river that forms part of the border between the USA and Mexico changes and whipsaws somewhat like that river in Peru that you show. The reason I ask is because I would like a bit of ammunition to rebut those who say that it is possible to build a wall along the entire border, and if this river changes course, how would that be possible? Thank you in advance.
@ Manon Sheiman: I think the answer is largely no. Rivers have a wide range of migration rates, for a variety of reasons (different water discharge, different sediment discharge, different erodibility of surrounding sediment or rock), and the course of the Rio Grande changes much more slowly than that of the Ucayali. You can see this in Google Earth Engine, for example here: https://earthengine.google.com/timelapse/#v=26.02538,-97.7055,11.691,latLng&t=0.00
There are some minor changes, but they are barely noticeable. It is true however that any fence that would strictly try to follow the border / river would have to be much longer than a ‘straight line interpretation’ of the border.
Thanks you, fascinating answer. There are sections of the Rio Grande, I’ve read, that are bordered by steep canyon walls, which would make a wall impossible to build, I would imagine.
*Thank (not thanks)
Szervusz Zoltán! – Hello Zoltan,
I’m looking for sand-dune forming models on the web, I saw some formation of dust in Budapest underground made by BKV trams between the railways – and I found your blog. I just read quickly some of your posts and I guess your blog is really interesting.
So, thanks for posting, I’ll dig into your materials!
Csaba