river landscapes 1 ✓ Flashcards
what does the river valley look like in the upper course ?
- steep gradient
- v-shaped valley
- steep sides
- narrow, shallow channel
what does the river valley look like in the middle course ?
- medium gradient
- gently sloping valley sides
- wider deeper channel
what does the river valley look like in the lower course ?
- gentle gradient
- very wide
- almost flat valley
- very wide and deep channel
how does the width of a river change from source to mouth ?
gets wider
how does the depth of a river change from source to mouth ?
gets deeper
how does the gradient of a river change from source to mouth ?
gets flatter
how does the discharge of a river change from source to mouth ?
size of discharge gets larger
how does the velocity of a river change from source to mouth ?
gets faster
how does the sediment size of a river change from source to mouth ?
gets smaller
how does the sediment shape of a river change from source to mouth ?
gets more rounded
what is the structure of sedimentary rock ?
- in layers
- made from animals remains
- easily eroded
- soft rock
how does the structure of sedimentary rock affect the way and speed it erodes ?
- more easily eroded
- layers are reasonably easy to erode
how do storms affect the rate of erosion ?
- increase rate of erosion
- winds make waves stronger
- increased water increases velocity
how does the rate of erosion differ in summer than in winter ?
- rains less in summer
- hotter in summer
- in winter rains more which means more water added into the rivers and the sea increasing velocity of water increasing rate of erosion
how does erosion create interlocking spurs ?
- upper course there is more vertical erosion
- river cuts down into the valley
- if there are areas of hard rock which are harder to erode, the river will bend around it
- this creates interlocking spurs