Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Intro to Physical Geography Unit 3 > Rivers and the Environment > Flashcards

Rivers and the Environment Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
U.S. Geography flashcards World Geography flashcards
1
Q

How are rivers and people related?

A

Rivers shape the landscape and people shape rivers!

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is a drainage basin or watershed?

A

Area of land drained by a river system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is a drainage divide?

A

The boundary between watersheds

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What are the 3 main fluvial processes through which rivers shape the landscape?

A
  1. Erosion
  2. Transport
  3. Deposition
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is the spatial patterns of erosion and deposition along a streams course like?

A
  1. Upper Course - steep, fast flowing river with little water. lots of erosion
  2. Middle Course - river starts to slow down. More water. Still eroding
  3. Lower course - river very slow, much more water. depositing here, not eroding.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is erosion and how does it start?

A

Removes bedrock and soil from original position. It stats with splash erosion from raindrops

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What do streams do to channels as they move downstream? How does this happen?

A

Streams erode larger and larger channels moving downstream.

  1. Sheetflow - before channelization
  2. Rills – small channel formed by soil erosion—beginning of channelization
  3. Gullies - channels become larger
  4. Finally Stream Channels develop
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is rill erosion?

A

Rill erosion is the removal of soil by concentrated water running through little “streamlets”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are gullies?

A

Gullies are formed by advanced rill erosion to the point that they cannot be smoothed over by normal tillage

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Is the stream channel itself an erosional feature?

A

yes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What does the stream channel do when it has different volumes of water passing though it?

A

The stream channel continuously adjusts its shape and path according to the volume of water passing through it at any point

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is discharge? What does a higher discharge mean?

A

Cubic meters of water per second. High discharge means more erosion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What transports eroded material and what are the three types of transportation?

A

Streams transport eroded material

  1. Suspended Load
  2. Solution Load (Dissolved)
  3. Bedload
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What does the size particles a stream can move depend on?

A

On its discharge. A high discharge means large material

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

How do floods effect streams and erosion?

A

Streams can carry much larger rocks during floods than average streamflow

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What does the slow moving stream transport? What does it transport that cannot be seen?

A

Suspended mud

By contrast, Solution load (Dissolved load) is INVISIBLE.Usually composed of ions such as calcium, chloride, potassium, sulfate that may precipitate out in quiet water such as ponds

17
Q

What happens to transported material when water slows down?

A

It drops its load….deposition

18
Q

What is all material deposited by streams called? What is this material typically like and why?

A

All material deposited by streams is called alluvium. It is typically smooth and rounded because has been worn down by the river

19
Q

How are rocks similar and different to alluvium?

A

Rocks also weather out of the bedrock in place; they are not deposited by the river, so NOT alluvium.
Note they are sharp and angular

20
Q

Are river rocks alluvium or not?

A

Rounded ones are alluvium, the sharp ones are not.

21
Q

What is a floodplain?

A

A floodplain is an area of land adjacent to a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge

22
Q

Is a floodplain erosional or depositional? What is it made of?

A

It is depositional and is made of alluvium

23
Q

What are natural levees?

A

A depositional feature that is a pair of low ridges that appear on either side of a stream and develop from accumulation of sediment deposited by natural flooding.

24
Q

Why would natural levees develop?

A

slide 26

25
Q

Where do meandering stream channels form? And are they erosional or depositional features?

A

Meandering stream channels (erosional features) form where streams are moving across a relatively flat landscape, usually near the lower end of its course. Remember the channel is constantly moving across landscape

26
Q

What does increased velocity in meandering streams cause?

A

Causes erosion (cut bank)

27
Q

What does decreased velocity in meandering streams cause?

A

Causes deposition (point bar)

28
Q

What do cut banks and points bars look like?

A

Slide 30

29
Q

What are oxbow lake and meaner scars evidence of?

A

Channel migration through time and the spatial history of the river

30
Q

What does channel migration look like?

A

Slide 33

Intro to Physical Geography Unit 3 (8 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions