The Character of Channel Migration on the Beatton River, Northeast British Columbia, Canada

Dendrochronological surveys on ten point-bar complexes on the Beatton River, northeast British Columbia, provide the basis for measurement of lateral migration and incision during the last 250 yr. The rate of channel-bend migration reaches a maximum value where the ratio radius of channel curvature to stream width ( r m / w m ) approximates 3.0. The rate of channel migration rapidly declines for bends with values of r m / w m greater or less than 3.0. In addition, the spacing of flood-plain ridges ( d ) increases with increasing rates of bend migration. Equations for predicting the migration rate ( M , meters/year) on the study reach take the form: (see pdf for equation)