Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ripple Marks

  • Reference work entry
Encyclopedia of Coastal Science

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Science Series ((EESS))

  • 276 Accesses

General definition and description

Allen (1978) defined ripple marks as “… regular, ridge-like structures, transverse to current, which arise and are maintained at the interface between a moving, viscous fluid (water, air) and a moveable, noncohesive sediment (usually sand) by interaction between fluid and transported sediment. ”Ripple marks fall principally into two classes: aeolian ripples and water-formed ripples. Fundamental work on aeolian ripples was undertaken by Bagnold (1941) as an army officer in the Lybian desert; he considered ripplesto be constant in size with time once formed, whereas larger types grew with time, almost without limit. Aeolian ripples are influenced by saltation bombardment of sand creating ballistic ripples which lack internal structure, and have wavelengths related to saltation length. Water-formed ripples are created by lee eddy avalanches in the direction of sediment transport, possess well-defined internal structure, and have wavelengths controlled...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 499.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  1. Allen, J.R.L., 1968. Current Ripples. Their Relation to Patterns of Water and Sediment Motion. Amsterdam: North-Holland Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Allen, J.R.L., 1978. Ripple marks. In Fairbridge, R.W. and Bourgeois, J. (eds.), The Encyclopedia of Sedimentology. Stroudsburg: Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Allen, J.R.L., 1982. Sedimentary Structures, their Character and Physical Basis, Volume I. Amsterdam: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Allen, J.R.L., 1985. Principles of Physical Sedimentology. London: Chapman & Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Allen, P.A., 1981. Some guidelines in reconstructing ancient sea conditions from wave ripplemarks. Marine Geology, 43: 59–67.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Amos, C.L. and King, E.L., 1984. Bedforms of the Canadian eastern seaboard: a comparison with global occurrences. Marine Geology, 57: 167–208.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Amos, C.L., Bowen, A.J., Huntley, D.A., and Lewis, C.F.M., 1988. Ripple generation under the combined influences of waves and currents on the Canadian continental shelf. Continental Shelf Research, 8(10): 1129–1153.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Arnott, R.W., and Southard, J.B., 1990. Exploratory flow-duct experiments on combined-flow bed configurations and some implications for interpreting storm-event stratification. Sedimentology, 60(2): 211–219.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Ashley, G.M., 1990. Classification of large-scale subaqueous bedforms: a new look at an old problem. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 60(1): 160–172.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Bagnold, R.A., 1941. The Physics of Blown Sand and Desert Dunes. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Bagnold, R.A., 1946. Motions of waves in shallow water: interactions between waves and sandy bottoms. Proceedings of Royal Society of London, Series A, 187: 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Bagnold, R.A., 1956. The flow of cohesionless grains in fluids. Philosophical Transactions of Royal Society of London, Series A, 249: 235–297.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Bagnold, R.A., 1963. Beach and nearshore processes. Part I, mechanics of marine sedimentation. In Thorne, C.R., MacArthur, R.C., and Bradley, J.B. (eds.), The Physics of Sediment Transport by Wind and Water. New York: American Society of Civil Engineers.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Clifton, H.E., and Dingler, J.R., 1984. Wave-formed structures and paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Marine Geology, 60: 165–198.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Darwin, G.H., 1883. On the formation of ripple-mark in sand. Proceedings of Royal Society of London, 36: 18–43.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Ellwood, J.M., Evans, P.D., and Wilson, I.G., 1975. Small scale Aeolian bedforms. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 45: 554–561.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Gilbert, G.K., 1914. The transport of debris by running water. Professional Papers US Geological Survey, 86.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Grant, W.D., and Madsen, O.S., 1982. Moveable bed roughness in unsteady flow. Journal of Geophysical Research, 87(C1): 469–481.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Harms, J.C., 1975. Stratification produced by migrating bedforms. Society of Economic Mineralogists and Paleontologists Short Course, 2: 45–61.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Harms, J.C., Southard, J.B., and Walker, R.G., 1982. Structures and sequences in clastic rocks. Society of Economic Mineralogists and Paleontologists Short Course, 9: 8–51.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Inman, D.L., 1957. Wave generated ripples in nearshore sands. US Army Corps of Engineers, Beach Erosion Board Technical Memorandum, 100.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Komar, P.D., 1974. Oscillatory ripple marks and their evaluation of ancient wave conditions and environments. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 44: 159–173.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Leopold, L.B., Wolman, M.G., and Miller, J.P., 1964. Fluvial Processes in Geomorphology. San Francisco: W.H. Freedman.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Manohar, M., 1955. Mechanics of bottom sediment movement due to wave action. US Army Corps of Engineers, Beach Erosion Board Technical Memorandum, 75.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Middleton, G.V., and Southard, J.B., 1984. Mechanics of sediment movement. Publications SEPM Short Course Notes, No. 3.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Reineck, H.E., and Singh, I.B., 1966. Primary sedimentary structures in the Recent sediments of the Jade, North Sea. Marine Geology, 5(3): 227–235.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Rubin, D.M., 1987. Cross-bedding, Bedforms and Paleocurrents. Tulsa: Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Rubin, D.M., and Hunter, R.E., 1987. Bedform alignment in directionally varying flows. Science, 237: 276–278.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Sleath, J.F.A., 1984. Sea Bed Mechanics. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Soulsby, R.L., 1997. Dynamics of Marine Sands. HR Wallingford Report SR, 466.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Southard, J.B., Lambie, J.M., Federico, D.C., Pile, H.T., and Weidman, C.R., 1990. Experiments on bed configurations in fine sands under bidirectional purely oscillatory flow, and the origin of hummocky cross-stratification. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 60(1): 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Tanner, W.F., 1967. Ripple mark indices and their uses. Sedimentology, 9: 89–104.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Tanner, W.F., 1978. Reynolds and Froude numbers. In Fairbridge, R.W., and Bourgeois, J. (eds.), The Encyclopedia of Sedimentology, Stroudsburg: Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross.

    Google Scholar 

  34. van Straaten, L.M.J.U., 1954. Composition and structure of Recent marine sediments in the Netherlands. Leidsche geologische mededelingen, 19: 1–110.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Wilson, I.G., 1972. Aeolian bedforms-their development and origins. Sedimentology, 19: 173–210.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Young, J.S.L., and Sleath, J.F.A., 1990. Ripple formation in combined transdirectional steady and oscillatory flow. Sedimentology, 37(3): 509–516.

    Google Scholar 

Cross-references

  1. Bars

    Google Scholar 

  2. Beach Features

    Google Scholar 

  3. Beach Processes

    Google Scholar 

  4. Beach Sediment Characteristics

    Google Scholar 

  5. Beach Stratigraphy

    Google Scholar 

  6. Coastal Sedimentary Facies

    Google Scholar 

  7. Eolian Processes

    Google Scholar 

  8. Rhythmic Patterns

    Google Scholar 

  9. Scour and Burial of Objects in Shallow Water

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Carl L. Amos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Patrick L. Friend
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA

    Maurice L. Schwartz

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2005 Springer

About this entry

Cite this entry

Amos, C.L., Friend, P.L. (2005). Ripple Marks. In: Schwartz, M.L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Coastal Science. Encyclopedia of Earth Science Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3880-1_262

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation