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Rivers Flashcards

1
Q

What is the river’s course split into?

A

Upper course
Middle course
Lower course

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2
Q

As the river moves from its upper course towards its lower course, what happens to the gradient?

A

The gradient decreases

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3
Q

Explain and describe the river’s upper course

A

In the upper course, erosion dominates over deposition.
This means that:
The valley is steep-sided and shaped like a V.
The channel that the water flows through is narrow and not very deep

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4
Q

Explain and describe the river’s middle course

A

In the middle course, neither erosion nor deposition is particularly dominant.
This means that:
The valley has a gentle slope.
The channel is wider than at the upper course. The channel is also deeper than at the upper course

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5
Q

Explain and describe the river’s lower course

A

In the lower course, deposition dominates over erosion.
This means that:
The valley is wide and flat.
The channel is wide and deep

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6
Q

What are the characteristics of valleys and channels in the upper courses of rivers?

A

Shallow channel
Narrow channel
V-shaped valley
Steep valley

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7
Q

Where in a river is the gradient the steepest?

A

Upper course

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8
Q

In the upper course what dominates over deposition?

A

Erosion

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9
Q

What is the upper course’s channel like?

A

Narrow and shallow

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10
Q

What is the upper course’s valley like?

A

Steep - sided and shaped like a V

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11
Q

In the middle course which process is dominant?

A

Neither erosion nor deposition is particularly dominant

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12
Q

What is the valley like in the middle course?

A

Has gentle slope

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13
Q

What is the channel like in middle course?

A

Channel is wider than at the upper course

Channel is also deeper than at the upper course

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14
Q

What process dominates the lower course?

A

Deposition

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15
Q

What is the valley like in the lower course?

A

Wide and flat

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16
Q

What is the channel like in the lower course?

A

Wide and deep

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17
Q

What are the two types of erosion that affect a river’s cross profile?

A

Vertical erosion and lateral erosion

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18
Q

What is vertical erosion?

A

Vertical erosion makes the river valley deeper.
Vertical erosion dominates in the upper course.
This is because high levels of turbulence make rough and angular particles drag along the river bed

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19
Q

Why does vertical erosion dominate the upper course?

A

This is because high levels of turbulence make rough and angular particles drag along the river bed

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20
Q

What is lateral erosion?

A

Lateral erosion makes the river valley wider.

Lateral erosion dominates in the lower course and middle course

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21
Q

What is abrasion?

A

where pieces of rock are picked up by the river or sea water and hit against the bed or the banks. This wears them away

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22
Q

What is attrition?

A

where pieces of bedload (material carried by a river or seawater) are hit against one another. This causes them to break apart and become smaller and more rounded

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23
Q

What is solution?

A

where soluble rocks are dissolved by the water in the river or sea (limestone and chalk in particular). They are carried along with the river or sea

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24
Q

What is hydraulic action?

A

where the force of the water hits against the river or sea bed and banks and causes the rock to break off

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25
What are the 4 processes of transportation?
Solution Suspension Saltation Traction
26
What is suspension?
where silt (sand, clay or other material) and sand particles are held in water (but not dissolved). The silt and sand particles are then transported along with the water
27
What is saltation?
where small sand and gravel particles bounce along the river bed or sea bed. They will travel in the direction of the flow of water
28
What is traction?
where large rocks or large particles are dragged along the river bed or sea bed by the current
29
Why does deposition of sediment happen?
A river slows down
30
Reasons why rivers lose velocity and drop material.....?
Increased amount of sediment in the channel Water becomes shallower The river’s mouth is reached Reduced volume of water in the channel
31
In which part of river’s does deposition not happen?
Upper course
32
In what part of a river world you find interlocking spurs?
Upper course
33
What erosional process is predominantly responsible for the formation of plunge pools?
Abrasion
34
Why are interlocking Spurs in the upper course?
In the upper course, rivers do not have enough energy to erode sideways (lateral erosion). Instead, they follow the winding path through the valley. These interlocking hillsides are the interlocking spurs
35
Hillsides on either side of a river that interlock are called.....?
Interlocking Spurs
36
Gorges are formed when..........retreat over time?
Waterfalls
37
Which processes lead to the formation of meanders?
Erosion | Deposition
38
How are slip off slopes created?
The current is weakest where the water is shallowest, opposite the river cliff. More sediment is deposited here because the current has less energy to carry it along the river. This creates slip-off slopes
39
What river landforms are caused by Erosion and Deposition?
Meanders | Ox-Bow lakes
40
Over time, as Meanders get bigger until what forms?
An ox-bow lake
41
What is created opposite a river cliff in shallow waters because of deposition?
A slip off slope
42
What do we call a meander that only has a small bit of land between the bends?
Swan’s neck meander
43
What leads to the formation of a river cliff?
More erosion happening on the outside of river bends
44
Why is more sediment deposited at slip-off slopes than river cliffs?
The water is shallower and the current has less energy
45
What is a flood plain?
the wide area of flat land that surrounds rivers in their lower courses at the bottom of a valley
46
What do we call the wide valley floors that surround rivers in their lower courses?
Flood plains
47
What are the effects of meander migration?
Meanders flatten valley floors by migrating downstream | Meanders widen flood plains by migrating across them
48
How are levees created?
Levees are created naturally during floods. When a flood happens, water overflows over the banks of a river. The larger sediments that were being transported by the river will be deposited first. After lots of floods, levees (which are natural piles of sediment) are created at the side of the river.
49
What are levees?
Piles of sediment that form at the side of river channels after repeated flooding
50
What do we call the small rivers found in deltas?
Distributaries
51
What are deltas?
low-lying bits of land where rivers meet the ocean (or lake)
52
How do deltas form?
Deltas form because rivers lose momentum in the flatter lower course as they reach the ocean, causing them to deposit their sediment load. The river's channel can be blocked by this build-up of material. This splits the river into lots of tiny rivers named distributaries. If this material builds up enough, a piece of land called a delta is created.
53
Name 4 reasons which cause a river to slow down and deposit sediment
Water becomes shallower Decreased volume of water River reaches its mouth Increased amount of sediment
54
Why do deltas form?
because rivers lose momentum in the flatter lower course as they reach the ocean, causing them to deposit their sediment load
55
What factors affect river landscape and sediment load?
Climate Slope processes Geology
56
How does climate affect river landscape and sediment load?
``` Heavy rainfall causes high runoff because the water arrives so quickly that there isn't enough time for it to infiltrate the soil. Prolonged rainfall makes the soil become saturated, and so any more rainfall will run off instead of infiltrating. Erosion happens faster when there is higher river discharge. More material (or sediment) is transported when a river has more energy ```
57
How do slope processes affect river landscapes and sediment load?
In steeper valleys, more debris is likely to be pulled by gravity down the valley to the river bed. Mass movement can add a lot to a river's load. Mass movements are more likely during cold weather or during intense periods of precipitation. Soil creep is when gravity causes soil to fall down a valley or slope. This can add large amounts of fine material to a river's sediment load
58
How does geology affect river landscapes and sediment load?
Soft rock erodes faster than hard rock. Therefore, a river will have a lower sediment load if it flows over hard rock. In areas of harder more resistant rocks, valleys are usually steeper. Waterfalls are created where soft and hard rock meet. Interlocking spurs are created when soft rock erodes more quickly than hard rock (a bit like bays and headlands on coastlines)
59
When does erosion happen slower?
When rovers flow through areas of hard rock, and so the river will have a reduced sediment load
60
What results in a larger sediment load?
Softer rock Wetter climate Steeper slopes
61
What is river discharge?
the volume of water flowing in a river every second and is measured in cumecs
62
What are the physical factors affecting storm hydrographs?
``` Geology Soil type Slope Drainage basin type If the ground has been frozen ```
63
What is river discharge measured in?
Cubic meters per second
64
What factors affect the risk of flooding?
Geology Relief Land use Precipitation and storms
65
How is high discharge likely to increase erosion?
Increased discharge increases the velocity of the water flowing so hydraulic action and abrasion would be most effective
66
What is a confluence?
The point where two rivers merge | This can happen at any stage of the river
67
What is a tributary?
A smaller river that feeds into another river
68
How are meanders formed?
Continued erosion can create a narrow neck between two meanders Eventually the neck will be breached out, cutting off the meander to create an oxbow lake
69
What are the three main ways water can reach a river?
Precipitation Surface run off Through flow
70
How are deltas formed?
When the river deposits its material faster than the sea can remove it
71
Name the types of deltas
Fan shaped Cuspate Bird’s foot
72
What is a fan-shaped delta?
the land around the river mouth arches out into the sea and the river splits many times on the way to the sea, creating a fan effect
73
What is a cuspate delta?
the land around the mouth of the river juts out arrow-like into the sea
74
What is a bird’s foot delta?
the river splits on the way to the sea, each part of the river juts out into the sea, rather like a bird's foot
75
Name one way human activity can affect hydrographs
Increased urbanisation which increases the surface run off. This reduces infiltration so flooding increases
76
Explain one way rivers transport their load
Traction - this involves the sediments being rolled along the river bed.
77
Explain two differences between the upper course and lower course river landscapes
Upper course landscapes have a narrower river channel due to vertical erosion eroding downwards rather than laterally The lower course has deltas due to a gentle gradient and deposition
78
Name land forms created in the upper course
V shaped valleys, interlocking Spurs and waterfalls | This is caused by steep gradient and vertical erosion
79
Name land forms created in the middle course
Flood plains, meanders and oxbow lakes | This is due to gentler gradient and lateral erosion
80
Name land forms created in the lower course
Flood plains, deltas and levees | This is due to a gentle gradient and deposition
81
How does a steeper valley affect a hydrograph?
A steeper valley will funnel more rainfall into a river faster, increasing river discharge.
82
How do impermeable rocks affect a hydrograph?
Impermeable rocks will absorb less water and channel more rain into a river, increasing discharge (infiltration is lower)
83
How do impermeable soils affect a hydrograph?
Impermeable soils will have higher runoff and channel more water into a river
84
How do circle drainage basins affect a hydrograph?
Circle-shaped drainage basins will channel more water into a river, reducing the lag time
85
How does weather affect a hydrograph?
If the weather has been cold and the ground is frozen, the runoff will be higher, decreasing the lag time on the hydrograph
86
How does deforestation affect a hydrograph?
Deforestation means that less water will be intercepted by trees, reducing the lag time from rainfall to peak discharge
87
How do impermeable buildings affect a hydrograph?
Impermeable building materials are used for housing and buildings in urban areas. This will reduce infiltration and reduce the lag time
88
How does geology affect river flooding?
Runoff is higher in areas that are mainly made up of impermeable soil (e.g. clay) or impermeable rock (e.g. granite)
89
How does precipitation and storms affect river flooding?
Heavy rainfall causes high runoff because the water arrives so quickly that there isn't enough time for it to infiltrate the soil. Prolonged rainfall makes the soil become saturated, and so any more rainfall will run off instead of infiltrating. If storms are more frequent have more rainfall, then the risk of flooding will rise
90
How does land use affect river flooding?
Buildings and roads are usually made of impermeable materials. More impermeable surfaces mean more runoff and more discharge. Trees intercept water and store water that they take up from the ground. Removing trees will, therefore, increase flooding risk as more water will be finding its way into the river channel
91
How does relief affect river flooding?
Rainfall will reach the river channel quicker in a steep-sided valley
92
What threats are posed to the environment by the flooding of rivers?
Contaminated floodwater can pollute river habitats Deposited silt and sediment can damage agricultural land Erosion of river banks can significantly change the landscape of a river Vegetation can be uprooted by forceful floodwater
93
Explain why the antecedent conditions in a drainage basin can affect the peak discharge of a river’s hydrograph
If there has been a lot of rain the ground will be saturated and cannot take any more Therefore more water runs off the surfaces thus reaches the river in shorter time, hence higher peak discharge

GCSE Geography (12 decks)

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