Geography Revision 2 Flashcards
What is a drainage basin?
The area of land drained by a river
What is a valley?
An area with higher ground on either side where a river runs through
What is a flood plain?
The land either side of the river which may flood if the river overflows
What is the mouth?
Where the river ends and meets the sea
What is confluence?
The meeting point of two rivers
What is tributary?
Smaller rivers meeting a main one
What is a water shed?
Imaginary outline of a river basin, an area of higher ground
What is the source?
Where the river starts
What is a river basin?
The area inside the water shed where all rain will collect into a river
What are the four main forms of river erosion?
Hydraulic action, Abrasion, Attrition, Solution
River erosion: Describe Hydraulic action
The force of the river against the banks can cause air to be trapped in cracks. The pressure weakens the banks and wears it away over time
River erosion: Describe abrasion
Rocks carried along by the river rub and scrape the river bed and banks
River erosion: Describe attrition
Rocks carried by the river smash together and break into smaller, smoother and rounder rocks
River erosion: Describe solution
Soluble rocks are dissolved into the river
What are the four different river transport processes?
Solution, Suspension, Saltation, Traction
River transportation: Describe solution
Dissolved material is carried along as a solution and you can’t see it
River transportation: Describe suspension
Light material is carried in the water
River transportation: Describe Traction
Large rocks are rolled along the river bed
River transportation: Describe saltation
Small pebbles and stones are bounced along the river bed
What is deposition?
As the river reaches flatter land, it loses energy and drops or deposits its load
What is deposited material called?
Sediments
What is a river’s long profile?
It shows changes in the height of a river course from source to mouth
What is cross profile?
It shows a cross section of a rivers channel and valley at different points on the rivers course
What happens in the upper course of a rivers long profile?
-Erosion
-River has lots of energy here