River Landscapes Flashcards
Size and shape of the source
Narrow v-shaped valley
Size and shape of middle reaches
Flat and broad v-shaped valley
Size and shape of mouth
Wide and deep
Landforms of the source
- v-shaped valley
- gorge
- waterfall
Landforms of middle reaches
- meanders
* ox-bow lake
Landforms of mouth
• estuary
Processes at the mouth
- erosion
* large sharp bedload
Processes at the middle reaches
- erosion
* depositing small rock
Processes at the mouth
• depositing fine material
Where is the river tees source?
Cross fell, in an area above 300m
What landforms are at the middle reaches of the river tees?
Meanders, ox-bow lakes, there are many meanders around the town of Yarm
What landforms are there in the upper-valley of the tees?
V-shaped valley, interlocking spurs, and many small tributaries and streams
What is at the estuary of the river tees ?
One of the largest container ports in the U.K.
The source of the river tees
- there is a cow green reservoir
- there is a nature reserve
- not many meanders
- sinuosity of 1.41
- v-shaped valley
- a high force waterfall
Middle course of the river tees
- has 10 meanders
- sinuosity of 3.64
- there are campsites,farms and woodlands e.g. Low hail farm
- meanders around a town called hurworth on tees
Mouth of the tees
- it widens and enters a industrial area
- there are oil terminal,car depot, steel works and chemical works
- surrounded by dunes and mud sands called seal sands
About the river tees waterfall
- it’s called high force waterfall
* it has a whinstone ontop of limestone
Changes in the river tees course
1) river flows straight although two meanders one going around crockley pasture
2) v-shaped valley and high force waterfall
3) gains a tributary in upper course called harwood been
4) middle course has many meanders and prone to flooding due to flat land
5) this causes ox bow lakes
6) river widens at mouth where it meets tees bay
7) mud and sand lands and enters industrial businesses
Abrasion
Rocks carried along by the river wearing down the river bed and banks
Attrition
Rocks carried along by the river smashed together and break into smaller smoother rocks
Hydraulic action
the motion of the water against a rock surface causes it to wear down
Vertical erosion
Erosion of the river bed which makes a deeper river
Lateral erosion
Erosion that occurred on the side of a river and makes it wider
Traction
Large boulders and rocks are rolled along the river bed
Saltation
Small pebbles and stones are bounced along the river bed
Solution
Minerals are dissolved in the water and carried along in solution
Suspension
Fine light material is carried along in the water of the river
Deposition
The process where material is transported by a river and is deposited somewhere else
Why does the deposition occur?
A river deposit sediment where the velocity of the river drops
How do pot holes occur ?
Potholes form when boulders pebbles and sand have swirled around in the plunge pool and caused a circular hole
How do waterfalls occur?
- hard rock overlies soft rock
- hydraulic action and abrasion occur eroding the soft rock quicker than the hard rock
- this creates an overhang
- overhang collapses
- waterfall retreats upstream when repeated
How do v-shaped valleys occur?
- vertical erosion occurs due to abrasion and hydraulic action
- sides of the river are steep and unsupported
- sides are weakened by weathering
- they break off and create a v-shaped valley
Interlocking spurs
The land has rocks various resistances, river wind its way around the more resistant rock and cuts down into the weaker rock leaving interlocking spurs
How do meanders occur?
- fast flowing water on the outside bank causes lateral erosion through abrasion and hydraulic action widening the river
- the slow flowing inner part of the river deposits silt and builds up a curve creating a slip off slope