Summary:
- How particles are moved by flowing water depends on their size.
- Larger sediments are dropped in steep areas, but smaller sediments can still be carried.
- The size of particles that can be carried is determined by the stream’s velocity.
- Particles that are too large to be suspended move along the stream bed by saltation.
- If a river floods often, the floodplain develops a thick layer of rich soil because of all the deposits.
- This is why floodplains are usually good places for growing plants.