✅🟢Rivers Landscapes in the UK Flashcards
Source meaning
The start of a river, often a spring
Drainage basin meaning
Area of land drained by a river and its tributaries
Tributary meaning
A small stream that joins a larger river
Confluence meaning
Where 2 rivers join
Eg. A tributary joining a larger river
Watershed meaning
The edge of a river basin
Mouth of a river meaning
End of a river where it joins the sea
What’s an estuary?
Transitional area between river and sea
Delta meaning
Material laid down in the mouth of a river
Meander meaning
River course bends
Flood plain meaning
Flat area near the mouth of a river where depositing dominates
How does the shape of the river + valley change as the river flows downstream?
Source - usually an upland area + flows over steep slopes with uneven surfaces.
It flows over a series of water falls.
As a river flows down steep slopes, the water performs vertical erosion. Forming V-shaped valleys.
As the river flows towards the mouth the rivers gradient becomes less steep, it eventually flows over flat land as it approaches the sea.
The load of the river also changes as it’s transported + eroded along the rivers profile.
The discharge increases as river approaches the sea
Whats the altitude in relation to sea level in the:
Upper course
Lower course
Altitude - source of potential energy stored / height above sea level
Upper course : High
Lower course : Low
Whats the weight / mass of the water in the:
Upper course
Lower course
Volume of water increases as river flows
Upper course : Low
Lower course : High
Whats the steepness of the long profile in the:
Upper course
Lower course
The gradient gets less steep as the river flows
Upper course : Steep
Lower course : Gentle
Whats the velocity in the:
Upper course
Lower course
The velocity increases as the river flows
Upper course : Low
Lower course : High
What are channel processes and what do they all
depend on?
The amount of energy available
Channel processes - erosion / transportation/ deposition
What’s erosion?
Wearing away and removal of soil + rock
Hydraulic action
Abrasion
Solution
Attrition
What’s Difference between lateral and vertical erosion?
Vertical :
- downwards
- steep v-shaped valley
- river narrow + shallow
- cutting down into the river bed
Lateral:
- side to side erosion (across valley)
- flat valley floor
- deeper + wider channel
Describe hydraulic action + what type of erosion is it?
Sheer force of the moving water against the banks can cause air to be trapped in the cracks and crevices, the pressure weakens the banks and it gradually wears away.
- vertical erosion
Describe abrasion + what type of erosion is it?
Rocks carried along be river scraps + scour + rub along the river bed and banks and wear down the river like sandpaper.
- lateral erosion
Describe solution + what type of erosion is it?
Minerals in the rocks are dissolved by weak acids in the river water. Particularly in ricks like chalk+limestone, soluble particles are dissolved into the water.
- lateral erosion