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.
