Lesson 13; Running Water Flashcards
What is Earth’s water distribution; ocean vs. fresh vs. surface
Oceans make up 96.5% of the Earth’s water
Freshwater make up 2.5% of Earth’s water
Surface water makes up 1.3% of the Earth’s water
What term is used by geologists for a running body of water?
A stream
Define drainage basin.
the area drained by a stream
Define divide.
an imaginary line separating one basin from another; sometimes it is visible as a high ridge in a mountainous region, and othertimes it is hard to determine.
What is a continental divide?
splitting of a continent into different drainage basins
Define tributary.
a smaller stream that flows into a bigger stream
Define confluence.
where two streams join/meet
Define source/headwaters.
the start of the stream; usually found in mountainous areas
Define mouth.
the end of a stream where it enters the sea or a lake.
What is headward erosion?
extending the head of the valley upslope; how a stream lengthens its course
What is stream piracy?
the diversion of the drainage of one stream into another
What are the different drainage patterns?
- Dendritic
- Rectangular
- Trellis
- Parallel
- Radial
- Centripetal
- Deranged
How are dendritic drainage patterns characterized? (F1)
tree-like pattern; forms over a fairly uniform substrate with a fairly uniform initial slope
How are rectangular patterns characterized? (F2)
Streams join each other at right angles. This occurs when a rectangular grid of fractures (vertical joints) breaks up the ground; channels form along the preexisting fractures.
How are trellis drainage patterns characterized? (F3)
Develops across a landscape of parallel valleys and ridges; rocks are not homogeneous; streams join the mainstream by eroding soft rocks at a right angle.
How are parallel drainage patterns characterized? (F4)
On a uniform slope, several streams with parallel courses develop simultaneously
How are radial drainage patterns characterized? (F5)
Drainage networks form on the surface of a cone-shaped volcano outward from the mountain peak
How are centripetal drainage patterns characterized? (F6)
Almost identical to a radial drainage system; it flows into a central point
How are deranged drainage patterns characterized? (F7)
It occurs in drainage basins where there is no apparent/consistent pattern of streams and lakes usually a region that is geologically disrupted; it is typical of recently glaciated areas.
Compare perennial land ephemeral streams.
Perennial streams flow all year long
Ephemeral streams flow for only part of the year
How is stream flow characterized?
- turbulent
- laminar
Characterize turbulent flow.
water moving quickly in an erratic fashion horizontally and vertically
individual particles take irregular paths
can keep sediment in suspension longer than laminar flows and aids in the erosion of the stream bottom
Characterized laminar flow.
water moving slowly in a nearly straight path
all water molecules travel along similar parallel paths.
What is stream velocity?
The distance that water in a stream travels over an interval of time