Rivers Key Terms Flashcards
Landscape
An extensive area of land that is regarded as being visually and physically distinct
Igneous rock (formation,characteristics, examples)
Formed by cooling of molten magma by volcanic activity, they have interlocking crystals, tough, resistant to erosion, e.g. basalt and granite
Sedimentary rock (formation, characteristics, examples)
Formed by sediments being compacted and pressed down over time, usually form in layers, so,e are tough (limestone), most are weaker types (clay,chalk)
Metamorphic
For,Ed by igneous and sedimentary rocks being out under pressure and heat, e.g. slate and schist
Relief
The physical features of the landscape and includes, height above sea level, steepness and shapes of landscape features
Drainage basin
An area drained by one main river with other small rivers
Watershed
The edge of the drainage basin. Any water that falls outside the watershed will drain into another river
Source
Where the river starts
Mouth
Where the river meets the sea
Tributary
Smaller river channel that joins the main channel
Confluence
Where two river channels meet
Main river channel
The river channel that tributaries flow into
Long profile
The gradient if a river, from its source to its mouth
Landform
Something in the natural works which you can actually see. E.g. waterfall, meander. Object in the landscape
Process
So,etching that happens, processes help form different landforms
Fluvial
Refers to processes associated with rivers and the deposits and landforms associated with them
Erosion
,I’ve mentioned of eroded material by the river
Transportation
The river drops the material it is transporting when it loses its energy
Deposition
The wearing away and removal of the rivers bed and banks by a moving force
Vertical erosion
Erodes the river valley and channel downwards so makes the river deeper
Lateral erosion
Erodes the river valley and channel sideways so makes the river wider
Hydraulic action
Sheer force if the water hitting the bed and banks. Weakens them causing them it breaks down.
Abrasion
Sand and stones (load) in the river repeatedly scrape/hit the bed and banks and dislodge particles into the rivers flow
Attrition
Rocks and stones knock together and wear each other away. Bits fall off and rocks reduce in size, becoming smoother and rounder
Solution
This only occurs when the water flows over certain types of rock, including chalk and limestone. They are soluble so they dissolve into the water as it flows past
Traction
Large particles like boulders are pushed along the river bed by the force of the water
Suspension
Small particles like silt and clay are carried along by the water
Saltation
Purple size particles are down so long be repaired by force of the water
Solution (transportation)
Soluble material such as limestone dissolve in the water and are carried along
Deposition
a river drops material it’s transporting, occurs when the rivers speed decreases because it has lost energy and can’t transport sediment, so it’s deposited
River valley
The shape of the valley on either side of the river channel. This includes mountains of flatland depending on which part of the river it is
River channel
This is the shape of the river itself. It is about the width and depth of the water
Cross profile
And shows you what a cross-section of the rivers channel looks like at certain points along a river’s course e.g. upper course middle course and lower course
Upper course
Narrow, v-shaped channel, vertical erosion
Middle course
Wider channel, u shaped channel, lateral erosion and deposition
Lower course
Channel is at its widest, depostion
Discharge
Amount of water flowing per metre per second
Load
Material transported by the river
Hard rock
Less likely to be eroded, like granite
Soft rock
More likely ti be eroded, like clay
Interlocking Spurs
Form when rock is too hard or when lateral erosion is not strong enough to erode the rock, the river flows around the rock
Meander
A large bend in the river channel, found in the middle and lower courses
Thalweg *8/9 word
Line of fastest flow int the river and it swings from side to side (example in L6)
Helicoidal flow *8/9 word
meander migration
Overtime, meanders become more bendy, as this happens they migrate across the valleys flood plain
Pools *7 word
Deep sections on the outside if the bend
Riffles *7 word
Shallow sections where sediment has been deposited
