Rivers Flashcards
What is a drainage basin?
The area of land drained by a river.
What is a catchment area?
Th area within the drainage basin.
What is a watershed?
The edge of highland surrounding a drainage basin. It marks the boundary between two drainage basin.
What is a source?
The beginning or end of a river.
What is a confluence?
The point at which rivers or streams join.
What is a tributary?
A steam or smaller river which joins a larger stream or entering a sea.
What is a mouth?
The point where the river comes to the end, usually when entering a sea.
What is a upper course?
The upper course of the river is narrow valley, steep and gradient.
What is a middle course?
The middle course of the river is flat.
What is a lower course?
The lower course of the river is wide and floodplain.
What is erosion?
Fluvial erosion is the wearing away of the land by a river.
What are the different types of erosion in a river?
- attrition
- abrasion
- hydraulic action
- solution
What does attrition mean?
Pebbles and rocks collide with each other, reducing their size and making them smoother.
What does abrasion mean?
Small rocks carried by the river wear away the bed and banks of the river.
What does hydraulic action mean?
The power of moving water which is forced against river banks causing them to collapse and be washed away.
What does solution mean?
A chemical reaction occurs when sightly acid water dissolves calcium to break down rocks such as limestone.
What are the different types of transportation in a river?
- saltation
- traction
- solution
- suspension
What does saltation mean?
The sediment bounces along the bed of the river.
What does traction mean?
The bedload rolls along the bed of the river.
What does solution mean?
Minerals are dissolved and are carried in the water.
What does suspension mean?
Particles are carried along in the water.
What does deposition?
Is when something is put down. In rivers it is material is put down
Explain the effects of flooding for a named location
Boscastle:
- tourist numbers decrease
- buildings collapse
- expensive (for re-building houses & shops)
What is a meander?
A bend in the river.
