Rivers and Erosion Flashcards
What is a landform?
Anything created by a physical process
What is the first stage of v-shape valley formation?
A small stream will naturally follow small depressions in the landscape
What are interlocking spurs?
The slopes that form either side of the valley
How do interlocking spurs form?
When a river is small in width, it is only able to erode downwards, therefore having no energy left to erode the slopes, so it takes the easiest course, flowing around the bottoms of the slopes instead.
What is headward erosion?
The process when, over time, the location of a waterfall moves backwards
What is a gorge?
A narrow, steep-sided valley that is usually found immediately downstream of a waterfall.
What is a thalweg?
Area of fastest flowing water
What is a meander?
A bend in a river
How is an oxbow lake formed?
When there is a dramatic meander in a river, the neck of the meander is gradually worn away, then, during flooding, the river takes a short-cut straight across the neck. Soon the loop of the meander gets sealed off and is turned into an oxbow lake.
What is percolation?
When water moves vertically through the soil and rock.
What is a drainage basin?
The area of land drained by a river where the water cycle takes place
What is throughflow?
When water in the soil moves downhill
What is erosion?
The process of water wearing away the land
What are the four main types of erosion?
Hydraulic action, abrasion, attrition, and solution
What is transportation?
The process of water carrying sediment and rocks downstream
