Key Words Flashcards
tributary
a smaller river or stream flowing into a larger river
v-shaped valley
a valley with steep sides and a narrow bottom that has been formed by erosion
erosion
the wearing away of rock by natural processes of rivers, ice, wind and sea
transport
the movement of eroded material by natural processes such as wind, rivers and sea
traction
big boulders and stones are rolled and dragged along the river bed
saltation
stones and pebbles bounce along the river bed
suspension
pebbles and smaller stones (e.g sand) are carried by a river
solution
some material is dissolved into the river water and transported this way
load
the amount of material carried by a river
cross profile
the change in river width and bank gradient at a specific, a slice across the river
long profile
the change in height and steepness of land as a river flows from the source to the mouth, a slice from source to mouth
waterfall
a vertical fall of water where the course of a river is interrupted by a steep drop in the land it is flowing over
gorge
a steep sided cut through the landscape formed over thousands of years by a retreating waterfall
plunge pool
the area of deep water at the bottom of a waterfall, formed by hydraulic action and the grinding of rocks and pebbles
flood plain
a flat area either side of a river which floods when the river overflows
