Streamwise Dissolution Patterns Created by a Flowing Water Film

TL;DR

This study demonstrates how streamwise parallel grooves form spontaneously on soluble surfaces under flowing water, revealing early-stage pattern development relevant to natural erosion processes.

Contribution

The paper provides experimental evidence of spontaneous formation of streamwise dissolution patterns under flowing water, linking laboratory results to natural erosion phenomena.

Findings

Parallel grooves form spontaneously on soluble surfaces under flow.

Groove width and depth increase over time.

Patterns resemble natural erosion channels.

Abstract

The dissolution of rocks by rainfall commonly generates streamwise parallel channels, yet the occurrence of these natural patterns remains to be understood. Here, we report the emergence in the laboratory of a streamwise dissolution pattern at the surface of an initially flat soluble material, inclined and subjected to a thin runoff water flow. Nearly parallel grooves about 1 mm wide and directed along the main slope spontaneously form. Their width and depth increase continuously with time until their crests emerge and channelize the flow. Our observations may constitute the early stage of the patterns observed in the field.