How River Deposition Takes Place - Running Water

When the erosive power of a river decreases, deposition of its load takes place. As a matter of fact, deposition may take place at any point in a river's course, although it is more pronounced in the middle and lower courses of a river. This is because the velocity of a river is lower in the middle or lower course than in the upper course. Deposition also takes place on the inside of meanders where there is a fall in the gradient. It also takes place when a river flows through an arid region where evaporation is high and also where a large river discharges its water into lake or sea.

In the process of deposition, the large, heavy sediment, such as boulders and pebbles is deposited before the finer sediments such as silt and clay.