Rivers Flashcards
Source
What a river rises in high ground
Course
When the river flows down a slope
Mouth
When the river reaches the sea
What are the drainage basin features
Tributary
Confluence
Mouth
Tributary
A stream of river which joins a larger river
Confluence
A place where 2 or more rivers meet
Mouth
The place where the river enters the sea/lake
How does a river transport its load
Traction
Saltation
Suspension
Solution
Traction
Pushing heavy materials
Saltation
Materials hop along rivers bed (pebbles)
Suspension
Carry lightmaterials such as clay, silt and sand
Solution
Carry dissolved materials such as calcium
Name one feature of a rivers youthful stage
V shaped valley
Describe a v shaped valley
Has steep sides and narrow floors
How are v shaped valleys formed?
- The river erodes downwards which steepens the valley
- mass movement causes the sides of the valley to move down-slope into the river
- this gives valleys their v-shape
- the materials that fall into the river are then transported off in the rivers load.
Landforms of the mature stage of the river
Meander
What is an oxbow lake
A horseshoe shaped lake found beside a river
How is an oxbow lake formed
- By continuous erosion and deposition
- Eventually the river cuts through the neck of the meander
- deposition then occurs which leaves the oxbow lake separated from the river
Name a landform of the old stage of a river
On bow lake
What are levees
Raised banks of deposited materials found along the banks of rivers
How is a levee formed?
- When the river floods, it spreads out over the flood plain. The heaviest material is deposited close to the river
- overtime and after many periods of flooding this deposition material forms levees along the banks of rivers.
What is a dam
A dam is a barrier constructed across a river to control the flow or the rise of water
Dams in Ireland
Dams have been built on a number of Irish rivers
3 dams have been built in the river Liffey
The largest dam traps water behind it which is transported to a reservoir called blessington lake
Advantages of a dam
- The ESB station built into the dam generates hydroelectricity (hydro electric power = hep). This is a clean source of renewable energy.
- Supplies water
