| Western Transverse Ranges | |
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Sedimentation in this valley is very active, a reflection of the tectonic activity around it. The rugged peaks to the south shed prodigious amounts of silt, sand, gravel, cobbles and boulders. Flash floods do the bulk of the work of carrying that sediment onward, spilling it as alluvial fans in valleys like this one. This narrow valley accepts a great load from its tributaries, and the choked stream cannot cut more than the very shallow bed in the foreground. Floods from occasional heavy rainfalls may nearly reach the groves on the far side, but the river erodes only the high bank on this side.
All photos (c) 2003 Andrew Alden, licensed to About.com, Inc.
Cuyama River floodplain. View southwest.
