Geography Key Terms Flashcards
traction
large stones are rolled or dragged along the bottom of the river bed.
saltation
pebbles and sand can be bounced along the bottom of the river bed.
suspension
fine particles of mud can be carried along the river bed.
solution
dissolved chemicals are carried along.
Drainage Basin
An area of land drained by a river and its tributaries.
source
the start of the river.
mouth
The end of a river..
Watershed
The boundary between two river basins.
Tributary
A smaller river which joins a larger river.
confluence
The point where two rivers meet.
escarpments
Resistant rocks like chalk which form deep escarpments
Undulating
gently rolling hills.
Anticline
A dome of folded rocks which forms and arch.
Dip-slope
Land that follows the same gentle slope as the layers of rock underneath.
Vale
Low flat land.
carbon dating
Uses radioactive testing to find the age of the rocks which contained living material
strata
layers
Topography
Shape/ height of land
Convection currents
Currents that move tectonic plates
Misfits
Small rivers that flow in valleys where glaciers used to be
Biologic weathering
The process of rocks being broken down by living things
Chemical weathering
Rock dissolved by acid rain mainly on chalk and limestone
Physical Weathering
(freeze thaw) When rain water enters cracks in the rocks and freezes.
Spring-line settlements
found where there is a ridge of permeable rock lying over impermeable rock. With a line of springs along the boundary between two layers.
Coppices
Woodland where the trees or shrubs are cut back every few years for firewood and timber.
Biodiversity
the variety of living species in an ecosystem or area.
flood plains
The wide flat valley surrounding the river
Levees
Large natural embankments formed along the banks of rivers that carry a large load.
Delta
Sediment that builds up in layers
Width
The distance from one bank to the other
Depth
The distance from the surface of the water to the river bed
velocity
How fast the river water is flowing
discharge
The volume and speed at which water flows through the channel
gradient
The steepness of the river bed
channel roughness
How rough the river bed and banks are
sediment size and shape
The material carried by the river
soft engineering
A more natural way to manage floodwater. Often creating space for floodwater in the landscape
Hard engineering
The building of permeable concrete defences to control the flow of water.
attrition
When rocks bash against each other and become smaller and more rounded.
