Rivers Flashcards
What is the starting point of a river
The start of a river is called a source
What is the high ground between 2 drainage basins
A watershed
What is it called when small streams join the starting river
Tributaries
What are raised banks formed by the river on its floodplain
Levees
What is the place where the river reaches the sea, on the end of its journey
The Mouth
What is the meeting point of 2 rivers called
Meanders
What is a floodplain
A plain covered with water in times of heavy rain
What is the part of the river effected by tides
The estuary
What is another word for feature
Landform
Source meaning
The place where a river begins
Tributaries meaning
A stream or river which joins a different river
Mouth meaning
The place where a river enters the sea
Estuary meaning
The part of a river mouth which is tidal
River basin
All the area of land drained by a river and its tributaries
Watershed meaning
The height ground that separates one river basin from another
Confluence meaning
The place where 2 or more rivers meet
Course
The route taken by a river between its source and its mouth
What is the difference between a source and a mouth
The source is where the river starts and the mouth is where the river ends
What is Hydraulic action
The force of fast flowing water that breaks up the bed and banks, almost like a power hose
What is Abrasion
Stones carried by the river load hit agains the bed and banks of the river
What is solution
When river water dissolves the rocks over which it flows
What is attrition
When stones roll along the bed of collide with each other. River stones go round and smooth over time
What is river erosion and give 2 examples
Erosion wears the land down and carries the pieces away, rivers do this in 4 ways e.g abrasion and solution
What is the process of river transport and give 2 examples
The load carried along by the river in four ways e.g traction and saltation
What is river traction
Larger stones that are rolled or dragged along the river bed
What is river saltation
Lighter stones are hopped along the river bed
What is river suspension
The smallest rock or soil grains are held up in the water making the water cloudy
What is river solution
Rock is dissolved in the water, water may be clear but coloured
