Rivers Flashcards
Source
The point where a river begins
Course
The route taken by a river
Tributary
A small river or stream that joins a larger one
Confluence
The place where 2 river Meet
Mouth
The place where a river entered the seas
Estuary
The part of a river mouth that is tidal
Drainage basin
The area of land that is drained by a river
Watershed
The boundary between 2 drainage basins often marked by hills or mountains
What are the 3 stages of a river
Youthful stage, mature stage, old stage
Describe the youthful stage
The river: is small, has a steep gradient
The valley has: steep sides,a narrow floor
Describe the mature stage
The river: is bigger, has a gentle gradient
The valley has: gentle sloping sides,a wider floor
Describe the old stage
The river: is much bigger, has an almost flat gradient
The valley has: very gentle sloping sides, a wide flat floor
Erosion
Wearing materials away from the surface
Transportation
Removing the material that is eroded
Deposition.
Dropping the material it was transporting
Load
The material transported by a river
V-showed valley
Narrow floor and steep sides
Interlocking spurs
A series of ridges that jut out from both sides
Waterfall
water falls over a vertical slope
Wide valley
Sides less steep and the valley floor is wider an flat
Meanders
Curves or bends that develop along the river
Floodplain
The level area of land on either side of a mature or old river
Dams
A dam is a barrier that is built along a river to control the flow of water
Abrasion
The material carried along by the river
Hydraulic action
Power of the water eroding
Attrition
material is worn down and smoothed as stones bounce of each other
