In the context of phenomena, fluvial refers to processes and dynamics associated with the action of running water in rivers and streams, including erosion, sediment transport, and deposition. Fluvial phenomena encompass the entrainment and downstream movement of clastic material, channel incision and lateral migration, bar formation, overbank flooding, and the development of alluvial plains and terraces. These processes are governed by hydraulic variables such as discharge, flow velocity, shear stress, and sediment load, and they operate across a range of spatial and temporal scales, fundamentally shaping drainage networks and continental surface morphology.
This month, ESA's Mars Express takes us to Shalbatana Vallis: a fascinating Martian valley surrounded by signs of water, lava, craters and chaos. Shalbatana Vallis is an impressive channel near Mars's equator. This image, ...
Planetary Sciences
11 hours ago
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Rivers are rarely the calm, orderly streams we imagine on maps. Over time, their winding paths—called meanders—shift, bend, and occasionally snap off in sudden "cutoff" events that shorten loops and reshape the landscape. ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 1, 2026
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In a first, a space mission led by NASA and France has tracked Earth's rivers swelling and shrinking from month to month over the course of a year and found significantly less of a swing than previous model-based estimates. ...
Planetary Sciences
Mar 4, 2026
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Using images from cameras on Mars orbiters, an international research team has discovered structures on Mars that are very similar to classic river deltas on Earth. These are traces of rivers that have deposited their sediments ...
Astrobiology
Jan 12, 2026
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251
Recurring high-energy flood events are not the exception but the rule in the Ahr Valley in western Germany—and this occurs over periods of centuries to millennia. This is shown in a study recently published in the journal ...
Earth Sciences
Jan 5, 2026
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What can mapped drainage systems on Mars teach scientists about the red planet's watery past? This is what a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences hopes to address as a team of scientists ...
Planetary Sciences
Dec 6, 2025
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100
A new Tulane University study published in Science Advances sheds light on how floods influence the way rivers move, offering fresh insight into how changing flood patterns may reshape waterways and the communities that depend ...
Earth Sciences
Dec 1, 2025
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Billions of years ago, it rained on Mars. The water collected in valleys and rivers, filled and spilled over the rims of craters, and was funneled into canyons, perhaps even making its way to a large Martian ocean.
Astrobiology
Dec 1, 2025
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63
Billions of years ago, water flowed across Mars. Most scientists agree the red planet had rivers. But did those rivers flow into an ocean? New research from the University of Arkansas found strong evidence in Mars' geology ...
Astrobiology
Sep 30, 2025
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278
Earthquakes don't just shake the ground, they can also shift rivers, damage stop banks and raise the risk of flooding for years afterward.
Earth Sciences
Sep 19, 2025
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