As gravel and sand particles travel down a river, one might imagine that apparently random movement and interparticle collisions might lead to a relatively even size distribution. However, this is not the case.

There are many situations where gravel and sand particles are sorted by size, including examples of armouring- where larger particles are found on top of smaller ones- and distributions of distinct patches of relatively large gravel particles on streambeds. The physical and temporal size distribution of gravel along streambeds has implications for the health of an ecosystem. There are still questions as to the physical mechanisms that drive and maintain the structures resulting from particle sorting in streambeds, from the formation and movement of gravel patches to bed armouring.

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