Introduction to Fluid Motions, Sediment Transport, and Current-Generated Sedimentary Structures

A photograph of Coyote Buttes, a red-rock formation.

The Wave, a rock formation at Coyote Buttes North. This area is an exposure of cross-bedded aeolian sandstone. Blowing wind created inclined dunes, which turned into sandstone with tilted layers. (Courtesy of Henry Morgan on flickr. License: CC-BY-NC-SA.)

Instructor(s)

MIT Course Number

12.090

As Taught In

Fall 2006

Level

Undergraduate

Cite This Course

Course Description

Course Features

Course Description

This course begins by introducing students to aspects of fluid dynamics relevant to transport and deposition of particulate sedimentary materials. Emphasis is on the structure of turbulent shear flows and the forces exerted by fluid motions on bed of loosed sediment. With fluid dynamics as background, the course deals with sediment movement as bed load and suspended load, and with the geometry, kinematics, and dynamics of ripple and dune bed forms. The course concludes with basic material on the styles of current-generated primary sedimentary structures, with emphasis on cross stratification.

Related Content

John Southard. 12.090 Introduction to Fluid Motions, Sediment Transport, and Current-Generated Sedimentary Structures. Fall 2006. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu. License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA.


For more information about using these materials and the Creative Commons license, see our Terms of Use.


Close