Geography - Rivers

Question 1

What are the ways rivers shape the land?

Answer 1

Erosion, Transportation and Deposition

Question 2

What does Erosion mean?

Answer 2

Erosion wears away the banks and bed of a river. This process also breaks down large rocks that are carried by the river

Question 3

What are the 4 types of Erosion?

Answer 3

• Attrition
• Abrasion
• Hydraulic Action
• Solution

Question 4

What does Attrition represent in the process of Erosion?

Answer 4

Attrition - The rocks that are being carried along clash with each other, causing them to break into smaller chunks.

Question 5

What does Abrasion represent in the process of Erosion?

Answer 5

Abrasion - Where pebbles in the river grind against the river bed and banks.

Question 6

What does Hydraulic Action represent in the process of Erosion?

Answer 6

Hydraulic Action - The force of the water smashing against the river banks makes air become trapped inside cracks which leads to the rock breaking apart.

Question 7

What does Solution represent in the process of Erosion?

Answer 7

Solution - The water dissolves many types of rock (limestone)

Question 8

What does Transportation mean?

Answer 8

Transportation is where the river carries sediment downstream.

Question 9

What are the 4 ways of Transportation?

Answer 9

• Traction
• Saltation
• Suspension
• Solution

Question 10

What does Traction represent in terms of Transportation in Rivers?

Answer 10

Traction - Heavy and large pebbles are rolled along the riverbed. This process is mainly found near the source of a river.

Question 11

What does Saltation represent in terms of Transportation in Rivers?

Answer 11

Saltation - Smaller pebbles are bounced along the riverbed. This is also found near the source of a river.

Question 12

What does Suspension represent in terms of Transportation in Rivers?

Answer 12

Suspension - Lighter sediment is carried throughout the river. Is most commonly found at the mouth of a river

Question 13

What does Solution represent in terms of Transportation in Rivers?

Answer 13

Solution - The water dissolves many types of rock (limestone)

Question 14

What does Deposition mean?

Answer 14

Deposition is when the river loses some of its energy (around the middle/lower courses of a river) and gets rid of some of the sediment it has been transporting

Question 15

What are the 3 factors that contribute to Deposition?

Answer 15

• Shallow water
• When the volume of the river decreases
• When the river has reached the end of its journey (the mouth/river basin)

Question 16

What is a Drainage Basin?

Answer 16

A Drainage Basin is the area of land that surrounds a river that is drained by the river and its tributaries.

Question 17

What is a Watershed?

Answer 17

Watershed - An area of highland that forms the edge of a river basin.

Question 18

What is a Source?

Answer 18

Source - The start of a river

Question 19

What is a Mouth?

Answer 19

Mouth - Where a river meets the sea

Question 20

What is a Confluence?

Answer 20

Confluence - The point where 2 rivers meet.

Question 21

What is a Tributary?

Answer 21

Tributary - A smaller river/stream that connects to a larger river.

Question 22

What is a Channel?

Answer 22

Channel - Where the river flows

Question 23

What does the Long Profile of a river tell you?

Answer 23

The long profile of a river is a line (that represents the river) and how it changes from where it starts, ends and throughout its course.

Question 24

What is the Upper Course of a river?

Answer 24

Upper Course - Where the river starts and is a highland area

Question 25

What is the Lower Course of a river?

Answer 25

Lower Course - Where the river ends and is an area of very flat land

Question 26

What does the Cross Profile of a river tell you?

Answer 26

A Cross Profile shows a cross-section of a river’s channel and valley at a certain point along the river’s course.