Geomorphology Flashcards
what is a catchment area
area over which rain falls and is caught by a drainage basin
what is infiltration
movement of water through soil into the ground
what is a confluence
place where two rivers join
what is a tributary
a river that joins a larger river
what is a river mouth
sea or lake where river ends
what is a source
where a river begins
what is a watershed
high lying area separating two drainage basins
what is a water table
upper level of underground saturated rock
what is run-off
the surface flow of water
what is ground water
water found under the ground
what is an interfluve
a high lying area between two river valleys
what is a river system
main river with all its tributaries
what are the four types of rivers
permanent, periodic, episodic, exotic
what is a permanent river
a river that flows all year
what is a periodic river
a river that flows in rainy season
what is an episodic river
a river that flows after heavy rainfall
what is an exotic river
a river that spans two types of climatic regions
what are the characteristics of a high drainage density
high rainfall
hard rocks
steep slopes
less vegetation
less infiltration
what are the characteristics of low drainage density
low rainfall
softer rocks
gentle slopes
lots of vegetation
more infiltration
what is laminar flow
water flows as parallel sheets
river bed is even
less erosion
(lower course)
what is turbulent flow
water flows bubbling/turbulent
river bed is uneven
more erosion
(upper course)
what are the seven drainage patterns
dendritic, trellis, radial, rectangular, centripetal, deranged, parallel
describe the dendritic drainage pattern
looks like branches of a tree, tributaries join at acute angles
describe the trellis drainage pattern
strong main stream joined by short tributaries at right angles
describe the radial drainage pattern
looks like spokes of a wheel when viewd from above
describe the rectangular drainage pattern
tributaries join at right angles and have bends of 90 degress
describe the centripetal drainage pattern
opposite of radial pattern
describe the deranged drainage pattern
small streams that have no specific pattern
describe the parallel drainage pattern
streams flow parallel to each other
