Landforms of a river Flashcards
1
Q
Erosional Landforms
A
- V Shaped valley
- Waterfalls and Gorges
- Meanders
- Ox Bow lakes
- Interlocking Spurs
2
Q
Deposition Landforms
A
- Flood Plains
- Levees
- Deltas
3
Q
V-Shaped Valley
A
River has little energy to erode laterally so erodes vertically instead. This creates a gorge with steep sides but weathering occurs and sides a made less stead creating a V Shape
4
Q
Interlocking Spurs
A
When the river takes the least resistive route down the hillside so harder rock stretches out creating interlocking spurs
5
Q
Waterfalls and Gorges
A
- Form where there is a harder rock above a softer rock
- Water passing over soft rock erodes it, however hard rock isn’t eroded
- This causes and overhand
- Plungepool forms
- Water begins to erode backwards underneath the water fall
- Eventually overhang falls down due to gravity and the water fall moves upstream
- This leaves a Gorge with steep sides
6
Q
Meanders
A
- Curves or loops in the river
- Forms when a river flows around harder rock
- Flow of water is fastest on the outside of the bend
- Deposition occurs on the inside
7
Q
Ox-Bow lakes
A
- Horse shoe shaped lake next to a river
- Occurs when a meanders neck narrows
- Overtime they dry up
- River flows a straighter path and deposition occurs to seal off the bend
8
Q
Floodplains
A
- The flat ground by the river in the middle and lower course which is liable to flood
- Heavy rain causes floods here
- Ground becomes very fertile due to silt that is deposited from the river in a flood
9
Q
Levees
A
- River overflows its banks and deposits its load
- Heaviest and largest material is off-loaded first
- Large material builds up into small banks above the natural river banks
10
Q
Deltas
A
- Form at a river mouth
- Large amounts of sediment carried by the river
- Ocean has small tidal range and weak currents
- Form in shallower water
- Built up sediment is deposited due to lack of energy
- Mouth of the river is split into hundreds of channels
