Deltaic Growth

Abstract

IN reference to the question as to the amount of sediment brought down by Delta Rivers, I had occasion in 1877 to ascertain the amount of sediment carried by the waters of the River Plate, and found it to amount to the 1/7762nd part by weight. Mr. J. F. Bateman, the well-known hydraulic engineer, in his report on the proposed harbour of Buenos Ayres, fixes the minimum flow of the River Plate at 670,000 cubic feet per second. Assuming its mean volume at 700,000 cubic feet per second (a quantity very much under the mark), it would appear that this river carries seaward some 224,000 tons of sediment every twenty-four hours—or say, in round numbers, 82,000,000 tons every year.