Water Processes (erosion, Transportation, Water Cycle And River System) Flashcards
What is erosion?
Erosion is the wearing away of the land
What are the four processes of river Erosion?
Hydraulic Action, abrasion, Attrition and Corrosion
What is the Hydraulic action process?
This process involves the force of water against the bed and banks.
What is the Abrasion process?
This is the process by which the bed and banks are worn down by the river’s load.The river throws these particles against the bed and banks, sometimes at high velocity
What is the Attrition process?
Material carried by the river bump into each other and so are smoothed and broken down into smaller particles.
What is the corrosion process?
This is the chemical action of river water.The acids in the water slowly dissolve the bed and the banks.
What is the source?
The source is the start of a river
What is the mouth?
The mouth is the end of a river
What is the master stream?
The main river
What is the tributary?
A small stream that joins a larger river
What is a meander?
A sweeping bend in a river
What is a confluence?
The point where two rivers join
What is a watershed?
This is the boundary between one drainage basin and another.
What is evaporation?
The process where water changes from a liquid to a gas
What is condensation?
The process where water vapour changes into a liquid.
What is precipitation?
This is different types of water e.g rainfall, snow, sleet, fog
What is surface water?
This is when water moves directly over the surface e.g river surface runoff can increase with heavy rainfall
What is Transpiration?
This is when surplus water from plants in returned back to the atmosphere.
What is groundwater?
This is when water moves through rocks
What is traction? (Transportation)
Boulders and pebbles are rolled along the river bad at times of high discharge
What is Saltation?
Sand sized particles are bounced along the river bad by the flow of water
What is suspension?
Fine clay and sand particles are carried along within the water even at low discharges
What is solution?
Some minerals dissolve in water such as calcium carbonate.This requires very little energy.
What is a drainage basin?
The area of a land drained by a river system
