The CM pattern as a tool for the classification of alluvial suites and floodplains along the river continuum

The CM pattern is a technique used for describing textural patterns and depositional processes. Over the last 15 years in the Rhône watershed, the CM pattern has been intensively used to describe the actual functioning of aquatic and terrestrial environments of the river and its tributaries. Results from this research led us to propose a global CM pattern more adapted to floodplain environments, on which geomorphological units are mapped according to their position within the graph. In addition, data collected on a large range of fluvial environments from outwash plains to deltas confirm the mobility of the complete CM pattern within the graph. Each segment of the image can shift laterally or vertically in relation to the bottom turbulence of the river and/or the unit stream power. The complete CM pattern of river environments also provides a broad assessment of the cohesiveness of deposits in the channel and across the adjacent floodplain, and can be used to identify each river type in the continuum from torrents to deltas.