'Rivers' Key Words Flashcards
Abrasion
Rocks carried along a river wear down the river bed and banks
Alluvium
A sediment deposited by a river when it floods
Attrition
Rocks being carried by the river smash together and break into smaller, smoother and rounder particles
Channel straightening
Removing meanders from a river to make it straighter
Confluence
Where a tributary joins a larger river
Cross profile
A cross section of a river channel or its valley
Dam
A barrier built across a valley to interrupt river flow
Deposition
Occurs when material being transported by a river is dropped due to the river losing energy
Discharge
Quantity of water that passes a given point on a stream or riverbank within a given time
Drainage basin
An area of land drained by a river and its tributaries
Embankment
Artificially raised banks often using concrete walls.
Estuary
Tidal mouth of a river where it meets the sea - wide banks of deposited mud are exposed at low tides
