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Geography 9Y > Drainage Basins > Flashcards

Drainage Basins Flashcards

1
Q

What is a drainage basin?

A

An area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

A drainage basin collects precipitation and channels it into a river system.

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2
Q

What is the boundary of a drainage basin called?

A

Watershed

A watershed separates one drainage basin from another.

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3
Q

What typically forms a watershed?

A

A range of hills or mountains

The high ground of a watershed directs precipitation into specific drainage basins.

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4
Q

True or False: Precipitation falling beyond the watershed will be part of the same drainage basin.

A

False

Precipitation beyond the watershed enters a different drainage basin.

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5
Q

Fill in the blank: The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries is called a _______.

A

drainage basin

This is a crucial concept in understanding river systems.

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6
Q

What role does a watershed play in relation to drainage basins?

A

It separates one drainage basin from another

Watersheds are essential for managing water flow and drainage.

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7
Q

What is the source of a river?

A

The area in which a river begins.

The source is often located in highland areas or mountains.

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8
Q

What is the mouth of a river?

A

Where a river ends its journey flowing into the sea or lake.

The mouth can create estuaries or deltas.

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9
Q

Define tributary.

A

A small river that joins a larger river.

Tributaries contribute water and sediment to the main river.

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10
Q

What is confluence?

A

The point at which two rivers join.

Confluences can create larger and more powerful rivers.

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11
Q

What is a watershed?

A

The boundary between two drainage basins marked by a ridge of highland.

Watersheds are crucial for determining the flow of water in a region.

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12
Q

Define drainage basin.

A

The area which is drained by a river and its tributaries.

Drainage basins are important for water management and ecosystem health.

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13
Q

What are the four different types of river erosion?

A
  1. Lateral Erosion
  2. Vertical Erosion
  3. Hydraulic Action
  4. Abrasion

These processes work together to shape the landscape through erosion.

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14
Q

What is the primary role of rivers in the landscape?

A

Rivers erode, transport, and deposit material.

This process significantly alters the land over time.

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15
Q

What occurs during vertical erosion?

A

Vertical erosion occurs in the upper part of a river.

This typically deepens the riverbed.

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16
Q

Where does lateral erosion occur?

A

Lateral erosion occurs in the middle and lower stages of a river.

This process widens the river.

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17
Q

Define hydraulic action in the context of river erosion.

A

Hydraulic action is the force of the water hitting against the bed and banks of the river.

This force can cause pressure and lead to erosion.

18
Q

What is abrasion in river processes?

A

Abrasion is the grinding of rock fragments carried by the river against the bed and banks.

This process contributes to both lateral and vertical erosion.

19
Q

Fill in the blank: _______ is the process where water forces its way into cracks in the riverbed.

A

Hydraulic Action

This process can lead to the breakdown of riverbanks.

20
Q

True or False: Rivers only erode material in their upper stages.

A

False

Rivers erode material through both vertical and lateral processes across different stages.

21
Q

What is attrition in the context of river transport?

A

Attrition is when rocks being transported by the river hit/smash together and break into smaller, smoother, and rounder particles.

22
Q

Define solution in terms of river erosion.

A

Solution is a form of chemical erosion where chemicals in the river water dissolve minerals in the rocks in the bed and bank, carrying them away in solution.

23
Q

What types of rocks are commonly affected by solution erosion?

A

Limestone and chalk.

24
Q

True or False: Attrition results in larger and rougher particles.

A

False

25
Q

Fill in the blank: __________ is a form of chemical erosion that carries minerals away in solution.

A

[solution]

26
Q

What is transportation in the context of river processes?

A

The movement of material

27
Q

What do rivers need to transport material?

A

Energy

28
Q

How does the speed of a river affect its energy for transportation?

A

When a river moves quickly, it has more energy for transportation

29
Q

List the four different ways rivers transport their load.

A
  • Traction
  • Saltation
  • Suspension
  • Solution
30
Q

What factors determine the type of transport that can take place in a river?

A
  • The size of the sediment
  • The amount of energy available
31
Q

Define traction in river transportation.

A

The heaviest material (large rocks) is rolled along the river bed

32
Q

What type of transportation requires the largest amount of energy?

A

Traction

33
Q

Describe saltation in river transportation.

A

Medium sized load is bounced along the river bed in a leap-frog motion

34
Q

What is suspension in the context of river transport?

A

Small particles (clay and silt sized) are carried within the water, above the river bed, in turbulent flow

35
Q

What type of particles are carried in suspension?

A

Small particles like clay and silt

36
Q

Explain solution in river transportation.

A

Rocks that have been dissolved by the water are carried in solution

37
Q

Which type of river transport requires the least amount of energy?

A

Solution

38
Q

What does deposition in river processes refer to?

A

The process where material carried in the river’s flow is dropped.

39
Q

When does deposition occur in river processes?

A

When there is no longer sufficient energy to transport material.

40
Q

What type of material is dropped first during deposition?

A

The largest material, as it requires the most energy to be transported.

41
Q

List one condition under which deposition can occur.

A
  • Shallow water
  • Decreased volume of water (e.g., heat wave)
  • Near the mouth of a river
  • During river floods onto the floodplain
  • Sudden increase in load (e.g., after a landslide)
42
Q

True or False: Deposition can only occur when the river is flowing at high energy.

A

False

Geography 9Y (1 decks)

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