Key Words - Rivers Flashcards
long profile
the gradient of a river, from its source to its mouth
cross profile
the side by side cross section of a river channel or valley
erosion
wearing away and removal of material by a river
transportation
the movement of eroded material
deposition
occurs when material being transported by a river is dropped due to it losing energy
interlocking spur
where mountain streams weave their way through the V-shaped valley and around the finger of land that just out
waterfall
a step in the long profile of a river usually formed when a river crosses over a hard (resistant) band of rock
gorge
a narrow steep-sided valley, often formed as a waterfall retreats upstream
meander
a wide bend in a river
ox-bow lake
an arc-shaped lake on a floodplain formed by a cut-off meander
levee
raised band found on either side of a river, formed naturally by regular flooding or built up by people to protect against flooding
floodplain
relatively flat area forming the valley floor either side of a river channel that sometimes floods
estuary
today mouth of a river where it meets the sea - wide banks of deposited mud are exposed at low tide
hydrograph
a graph which shows the discharge of a river, related to rainfall, over a period of time
discharge
quantity of water that passes a given point on a stream or river band within a given period of time
hard engineering
using concrete or large artificial structures to defend against natural processes, either coastal, fluvial or glacial
soft engineering
managing erosion by working with natural processes to reduce the risk of river flooding
drainage basin
an area of land drained by a river and its tributaries
v-shaped valley
when a river is near its source, it often develops a v-shaped valley as the river erodes down (vertical erosion)
flood
where river discharge exceeds river channel capacity and water spills onto the flood plain
