The hydrodynamics of turbidity currents from spring runoffs of an influent river is examined by measuring velocity, water temperature, and concentration of suspended sediment in a reservoir. Crosssectional measurement of turbidity currents, made from a bridge, shows the effect of centrifugal force on the downstream movement. This is due to considerable meandering of the old river channel. The turbidity currents, initiated at high sediment concentration of 1,700 mg/L, were bifurcated into an underflow and some interflows in the downstream reach, because of the relatively dense bottom water of the reservoir. The "lower layer" of turbidity currents exhibits a log linear relationship between dimensionless velocity and height under a hydraulically smooth condition. The velocity distribution in the upper and lower layers could be explained by overall Richardson number. Two drag coefficients, related with shear stresses at bottom bed and interface, generally decrease with increasing densimetric Froude number, but are independent of Reynolds number. The conditions of sediment deposition and erosion by turbidity currents can be explained by using the "extended Shields diagram." centration (25-2500 mg/L) and at low velocity (the order 10-• to 10 -2 m/s), while the former currents, called high-density turbidity currents, usually transport sand and gravel in high concentration (25-250 g/L) and at high velocity (the order 10 m/s) [Stow, 1986]. Actual events of turbidity currents have been noted by the sequential breakage of submarine cables (high density) [Heezen and Ewinq, 1952] and through field measurements (low density) in the sea [Shepard et al., 1977], reservoirs [Chikita and Okumura, 1987], and lakes (especially, proglacial lakes by Gustat•son [1975], Smith et al. [1980], and Weirich [ 1986]). Mathematical models of the dynamics of turbidity currents, with erosion and deposition, have recently been developed by Parker [1982], Akiyama and Stefan [1985], Fukushima et al. [1985], and Parker et al. [1986]. However, these models are based on a small amount of field data and few experimental results; they leave some doubts about reality in the field. Particular effects which are not taken into account are the topography on the downstream movement of turbidity currents, interaction among wind-driven currents and turbidity currents, and the grain size distribution of suspended and bottom sediments. Furthermore, the shear stress at an interface between turbidity currents and clear flows is negected, and the