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Geography Y8 > Rivers > Flashcards

Rivers Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a drainage basin?

A

An area of land drained by a river. Outlined by a boundary of high ground.

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2
Q

What is a valley?

A

An area with higher ground on either side. Where a river runs through.

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3
Q

What is a floodplain?

A

The land either side of the river which may flood if the river overflows.

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4
Q

What is the mouth of a river?

A

Where the river meets the sea.

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5
Q

What is a confluence?

A

The meeting point of two rivers.

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6
Q

What is a tributary?

A

Smaller rivers meeting a main one.

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7
Q

What is a watershed?

A

Imaginary line of a river basin. An area of higher ground.

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8
Q

What is a river basin?

A

The area inside the watershed where all rain will collect into a river.

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9
Q

What is the source of a river?

A

Where the river starts.

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10
Q

What is river erosion?

A

The wearing away and break down of rock by a river.

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11
Q

What is the river bank?

A

Edge of the river

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12
Q

What is vertical erosion?

A

Erosion downwards

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13
Q

What is lateral erosion?

A

Erosion sideways

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14
Q

What is the river bed?

A

The bottom of the river.

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15
Q

What happens during hydraulic action?

A

The force of the river against the banks can cause rocks to be trapped in cracks. The pressure weakens the banks and gradually wears it away.

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16
Q

What is abrasion?

A

When rocks are carried away by the river, they rub and scrape along the river bed and banks.

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17
Q

What is attrition?

A

When rocks that are carried by the river smash together and break into smaller, smoother and rounder particles.

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18
Q

What is solution?

A

When soluble rocks are dissolved into the river.

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19
Q

What is solution (transport)?

A

This is when minerals are dissolved in the water and carried along in solution

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20
Q

What is suspension?

A

When fine light material is carried along in the water.

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21
Q

What is saltation?

A

When small pebbles and stone are bounced along the river bed.

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22
Q

What is traction?

A

When large boulders and rocks are rolled along the river bed.

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23
Q

How does a river deposit material?

A

When a river reaches flatter land, it loses energy. As it loses energy, it drops or deposits sediment.

24
Q

What rocks are deposited first and last?

A

The biggest, heaviest stones are deposited first, then smaller rocks and finally the smallest particles.

25
Q

What stays in the water?

A

Dissolved material

26
Q

What is a long profile?

A

It shows changes in the height (altitude) of a river course from its source to mouth.

27
Q

What is a cross profile?

A

It shows a cross section of a river’s channel and valley at different points on the river’s course.

28
Q

What is Bradshaw’s model?

A

This model describes how river changes from its upper to lower course.

29
Q

What are the main landforms in the upper course?

A

Waterfalls, plunge pools, V-shaped valleys, interlocking spurs

30
Q

What is the main landform in the middle course?

A

Meanders

31
Q

What are the main landforms in the lower course?

A

Ox-bow lake, floodplain, levees

32
Q

What river process is in the upper course?

A

Erosion

33
Q

What river process is in the middle course?

A

Transportation

34
Q

What river processes are in the lower course?

A

Lateral erosion and deposition

35
Q

What type of valley is there in the upper course?

A

‘V’ shaped valley

36
Q

What type of valley is there in the middle course?

A

Gentle Sloping Valley

37
Q

What type of valley is there in the lower course?

A

Flat and Wide Floodplain

38
Q

What is the first step in the formation of a waterfall?

A

A layer of hard rock lays over a layer of soft rock. The water begins to erode the less-resistant, soft rock. This creates a very steep gradient.

39
Q

What is the second step in the formation of a waterfall?

A

The erosion of the soft rock underneath, undercuts the hard rock above. Hydraulic-action and abrasion work together to create a plunge pool.

40
Q

What is the third step in the formation of a waterfall?

A

The ledge which overhangs the plunge pool eventually falls under its own weight. The debris is eroded by hydraulic-action and attrition, which is then transported downstream.

41
Q

What is the final step in the formation of a waterfall?

A

The waterfall now retreats further back. Over time this creates a gorge.

42
Q

What is a gorge?

A

A long stretch of river surrounded by a steep sided valley.

43
Q
  1. What happens when a river bends around something in its course?
A

There will now be areas of slower and faster water movement.

44
Q
  1. What happens on the outside bends of the river?
A

The river flows faster and erodes the outside by using hydraulic-action and abrasion - which forms a river cliff.

45
Q
  1. What happens on the inside bends of a river?
A

The river flows slower on the inside and deposits some of its load - which forms a river beach.

46
Q
  1. How does the meander eventually form?
A

With continuous erosion (lateral) and deposition.

47
Q

What way do meanders move?

A

Sideways

48
Q

What does continuous erosion result in?

A

The outside bends to become closer until only a small bit of land is left between the bends - the neck.

49
Q

What happens when river breaks through the neck?

A

It forms an ox-bow lake.

50
Q

When is the meander cut off?

A

Due to deposition, and then the river flows along the shortest course again.

51
Q

What is the first step in the formation of a floodplain?

A

The river erodes on the outer banks and migrates - it moves downstream and outwards.

52
Q

What is the second step in the formation of a floodplain?

A

Over time, the meander erodes further into the hills and creates a very wide and flat area around the sides of the river - this is called a floodplain.

53
Q

What happens to the floodplain when the river floods?

A

Water flows out onto the floodplain.

54
Q

What happens when the floodplain floods?

A

It makes the river flow slower due to the increase of friction.

55
Q

What happens to the floodplain when the river flows slowly?

A

It adds sediment - the floodplain becomes fertile.

Geography Y8 (5 decks)

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