Water On The Land Flashcards
V-Shaped Valley
A valley with steep sides and narrow botton that has been formed by erosion
Erosion
The wearing away of rock by the natural processes of rivers, ice, wind and sea
Transport
The movement of eroded material by natural processes such as wind, rivers and sea
Traction
Big boulders and stones are rolled and dragged along the river bed
Saltation
Stones and pebbles bounce along the river bed
Suspension
Pebbles and smaller stones (e.g sand) are carried by a river
Load
The amount of material carried by a river
Cross profile
The change in river width and bank gradient at a specific point, a slice across the river
Long profile
The change in height and steepness of land as a river flows from the souce to the mouth, a slice from source to mouth
Waterfall
A vertical fall of water where the course of a river is interrupted by a steep drop in the land it is flowing over
Gorge
A steep sided cut theough the landscape formed over thousands of years by a retreating waterfall
Plunge pool
The area of deep water at the bottom of a waterfall, formed by a hydraulic ation and the grindling of rocks and pebbles
Flood plain
A flat area either side of a river which floos when the river overflows
Meanders
Bends found along the course of a river
Thalweg
The fastest current in a river, forced to the outer bend at a meander
Oxbow lake
A lake shaped like a crescent that is formed when a river bend is cut off from the main flow and becomes isolated
Helical flow
The corkscrew pattern of flow found in a river
Sefiment
Material such as sand and clay that is carried by a river
Levee
River embankments built as a flood defence
Mudflats
Flag coastal area formed when mud is deposited by rivers and coasts
Saltmarsh
An area lf coastal grassland which is regularly flooded by a seawater
Discharge
The amount of water flowing in a river at any one point
Tributary
A smaller river or stream flowing into a larger river
