River

Question 1

What is a source

Answer 1

the beginning of a river

Question 2

What is a course

Answer 2

The route a river takes

Question 3

What is a confluence

Answer 3

The point at which two rivers or streams join together

Question 4

What is a tributary

Answer 4

A stream or smaller river that flows into a larger stream or river

Question 5

What is the mouth of the river

Answer 5

The point where a river comes to its end, usually when entering the sea

Question 6

What is a drainage basin

Answer 6

The area of land drained by a river

Question 7

What is watershed

Answer 7

The edge of highland surrounding a drainage basin.It marks the boundary between two drainage basins

Question 8

What is a Estuary

Answer 8

The part of a river mouth that is tidal

Question 9

What are the three stages of a river

Answer 9

Upper or youthful stage,middle or mature stage and lower or older stage

Question 10

What is the river at the upper or youthful stage

Answer 10

Steep, fast-following river
Little water
Lots of erosion 
Steep,V-shaped valley 
Narrow, shallow channel 
High bed load(larger rocks)
FEATURES:V-shaped valley,interlocking spurs,waterfalls

Question 11

What is the river at the middle or mature stage

Answer 11

River starts to slow down 
More water
Still eroding 
Open, gently slopping valley with flood plain 
Wider deeper channel 
More suspended sediment 
FEATURES:meanders,oxbow lakes

Question 12

What is the river at the lower or old stage

Answer 12

Slow-moving water 
Much more water
Depositing here not eroding 
Open, gently slopping valley with flat and wide flood plain
Very wide and very deep channel 
High levels of suspended sediment 
FEATURES:Flood plains levees

Question 13

What is erosion

Answer 13

The river water wears the landscape away

Question 14

What is transportation

Answer 14

The river carries the materials that it has eroded

Question 15

What is deposition

Answer 15

The river drops off material that it is carrying

Question 16

What is hydraulic action

Answer 16

The force of the moving water wears away the banks and bed of the river

Question 17

What is abrasion

Answer 17

Small stones carried by the river wear away the banks and bed of the river

Question 18

What is attrition

Answer 18

The small stones in the river are worn down and broken up as they hit off each other

Question 19

What is solution

ps hydraulic action,abrasion,attrition and solution are methods of erosion

Answer 19

Rocks such as limestone, and soil are dissolved by acids in the water

Question 20

What is rolling

Answer 20

The larger rocks are rolled along the bed of the river.This process is known as traction

Question 21

What is bouncing

Answer 21

The smaller pebbles are bounced along he bed of the river.The process is known as saltation

Question 22

What is suspension

Answer 22

Light materials such as sand and slit float along the water

Question 23

What is solution

ps rolling,bouncing,suspension and solution are all methods of transportation

Answer 23

Materials dissolve in the water and are carried along be the rive r

Question 24

What is river deposition

Answer 24

Deposition can shape the land by leaving sediment in new places, making new land or adding to existing land

Question 25

What are the causes of river deposition

Answer 25

* Reduction to the river's speed.This can happen when a river enters a sea or a lake, or during a period of dry weather * Increase load size.This can happen when a tributary joins a river, or after a period of heavy rain fall * Reduction to rivers volume.This can happen during of dry weather * When the gradients levels off.This occurs when the river reaches fatter land

Question 26

What are V-shaped valleys

Answer 26

A V-shaped valley is a steep-sided valley in the shape of a V, down which the river flows from its source.It is shaped by vertical erosion:the river cuts down into the river bed making it deeper.This process is called hydraulic action.It creates an deep narrow valley.Mechanical weathering and mass movement also weathers down the sides f the valley, breaking down the rock and soil.The material that falls into the river is carried downstream.Examples of this are shown in the upper course of the river Liffey,the river Moy and driver Lee

Question 27

What are interlocking spurs

Answer 27

Interlocking spurs are areas of high ground that jut out at both sides of a V-shaped valley.As the river erodes the landscape in the upper course,It winds and bends around any areas of hard rocks it can not breakdown down.It still erodes vertically however.This process creates interlocking spurs which look a bit like interlocking parts of a zip.Examples are seen in the upper course of the river Barrow and The River Slaney

Question 28

What are waterfalls

Answer 28

A waterfall is a vertical drop in the course of a river in its youthful stage.When the river flows over the area of hard rock lies across a band of soft rock, the soft rock is eroded quicker than the more resident hard rock, creating a drop or vertical fall.This fall increases in size and the material it carries creates a plunge pool at the base.The plunge pool enlarges over time, and hydraulic action and abrasion cause undercutting of the waterfall.This is turn results in the creation of over hang.Pressure and the force of gravity eventually cause the overhang to collapse.This process repeats itself over time, making the waterfall retreat upstream

Question 29

What are meanders

Answer 29

Meanders are curves or bends in the river as it flows along its course it its mature stage.(mature side)

Question 30

What is an oxbow lake

Answer 30

An oxbow lake is a horse-shoe shaped lake that was formed when a meander was cut.When they neck of a meander becomes very tight, the river can break through.(mature stage) formation-1.Made feom well developed meaneders 2.erosion takes place on the outer concave of the river and the neck of land between the two lands becomes narrower 3.During a flood the river may finnaly break through and continue straight ahead and vlose off the meander by depositing sediment on the edges of the meander 4.An oxbow scar is a dried up oxbow lake eg of oxbow lake is the middle stage of the river liffey

Question 31

What are flood plains

Answer 31

A flood plain is a wide, flat area of land on either side of a river in its old stage.

Question 32

What is a levees

Answer 32

A levee is a build-up of alluvium on the banks of a river.Levees are caused by floods

Question 33

What is a delta

Answer 33

A delta is a triangular or fan-shaped area of land at the mouth the river where it enters the sea.Deltas are features of deposition found in the old stage of a river

Question 34

Under what circumstances might a delta form

Answer 34

* The river must be transporting a large amount of sediment * The sea must have a small tidal range and weal current * The sea must be shallow at the river mouth

Question 35

What human interactions does rivers have

Answer 35

Transport,tourism,fishing,settlement,pollution,flooding and HEP

Question 36

What doe humans have to do with transport and rivers

Answer 36

Since the earliest settles came to Ireland, rivers have been used as a means of transport people and goods.

Question 37

What do humans have to do with tourism and rivers

Answer 37

Tourists use rivers for cruising and fishing

Question 38

What do humans have to do with fishing at rivers

Answer 38

Irish rivers are popular with anglers and many are famous for salmon fishing

Question 39

What do humans have to do with settlement and rivers

Answer 39

Many settlements develop along river banks as the location provides food water and transport

Question 40

What do humans have to do with pollution and rivers

Answer 40

Pollution comes from man made things such as slurry and industrial waste which run into or local rivers

Question 41

What do people have to do with flooding and rivers

Answer 41

Human interaction can be responsible for flooding.

Question 42

What do people have to do with HEP and rivers

Answer 42

HEP stations are often build using dams.The building can have both a positive and negative effect on the rivers.A dam is a large concrete wall built across a river to provide flooding