Water on Land Flashcards
Name the four types of erosion
Hydraulic action, abrasion, attrition, corrosion/solution
What are the two directions of erosion?
Vertical and lateral
What are the four processes of transportation?
Solution, suspension, saltation, traction
What is hydraulic action?
It is a type of erosion. The force of the river against the banks and bed. The pressure weakens and wears away rock
What is attrition?
It is a type of erosion. Rocks being carried by the river smash together and break into small, smoother and rounder particles
What is abrasion?
It is a type of erosion. Rocks carried along by the river wear down the river bed and banks.
What is corrosion/solution?
It is a type of erosion. Soluble particles are dissolved into the river
What is vertical erosion?
The downward action of erosion that depends the river channel.
Where is vertical erosion most dominant?
In the upper course due tot he increased gravitional pull
What is lateral erosion?
The sideways actions of erosion that wider the rover channel
Where is lateral erosion most dominant?
In the lower course
What is solution?
Minerals are dissolved in the water and carried along in solution
What is suspension?
Fine light material is carried along in the water
What is saltation?
Small pebbles and stones are bounced along the river bed.
What is traction?
Large boulders and rocks are rolled along the river bed
What are the features of the upper course of a river?
Large angular bedload
Narrow and shallow (1.5 m from side to side in places)
Steep valley sides (V-shaped valleys)
Waterfalls and rapids
What are the features of the middle course of a river?
Wider river channels than the upper course (5-15m from side to side in places)
Smaller angular bedloads
Meanders and ox bow lakes
Deeper river channels
What are the features of the lower course of a river?
Wide and deep channels (20m+)
Deltas and estuaries
Floodplain and levees
What are the processes of the upper course of a river?
Vertical erosion
Transportation- traction and saltation
What are the processes of the middle course of a river?
Vertical and lateral erosion
Deposition
Transporation- more suspension and solution
What are the processes of the lower course of a river?
Some lateral erosion
Mostly deposition
Transportation- suspension and solution
How do waterfalls form?
Resistant rocks lies over softer, less resistant rock, the softer rocks erodes away causing a undercut.
Hard rock overhangs until it cannot support its weight
Overhang collapses, adding blocks of rock to the base of waterfall
Power of water falling to the base moves the material around, eroding the base into deep plunge pool (abrasion)
How are gorges formed?
After a while, the undercutting and collapse circle of a waterfall is repeated many times, causing waterfall to retreat upstream creating a steep-sided gorge