Geography- River Terminology Flashcards
Water table
The level below which ground is saturated with water
Tributaries
A stream or river that flows into a main or parent river
Distributaries
A stream that branches off and flows away from the main stream channel.
Confluence
Where two or more bodies of water meet together, usually refers to the joining of tributaries.
Watershed
An area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins or seas.
Interfluve
High lying ground between tributaries within a drainage basin.
Drainage basin
An area drained by a river and all its tributaries
River mouth
The part of a stream where it flows into a sea, river, lake, reservoir or ocean.
River source/eye/headwater
The furthest point from which water could possibly flow.
Floodplain
An area of land next to a rive that is prone to flooding.
Meander
The twisting and turning of a river
Entrenched meander
The land is lifting against the river. The land was once flag but then it began to lift due to plate movement and now the land is lifting equal to the rate of erosion.
Aquifer
Porous
Water can flow through it
Aquiclude
Non porous
Water cannot pass through it
Levees
Stabilizing river banks
