Year 10 Key terms

Question 1

Watershed

Answer 1

The area of highland forming the edge of a river basin

Question 3

Mouth

Answer 3

Where the river meets the sea

Question 4

Source

Answer 4

Where the river begins

Question 5

Tributary

Answer 5

A small river or stream that joins a large river

Question 6

Channel

Answer 6

This is where the river flows

Question 8

Precipitation

Answer 8

Moisture falling out of the atmosphere, rain, snow, sleet and hail

Question 9

Stem flow

Answer 9

Water dripping down the stems and trunks of vegetation

Question 10

Interception

Answer 10

Water held in the foliage of vegetation

Question 11

Percolation

Answer 11

Downward movement of water entering the ground as soil becomes increasingly wet and soft

Question 12

Surface storage

Answer 12

Water held as puddles/ pools on the land surface

Question 13

Infiltration

Answer 13

Downward movement of water into the bedrock

Question 14

Groundwater flow

Answer 14

The slowest movement of water which occurs in the bedrock

Question 15

Water table

Answer 15

Level of water that occurs when all the pores in the soil have been filled

Question 16

Ground flow

Answer 16

Water stored in bedrock

Question 17

Surface run-off

Answer 17

Quick movement of water on land surface when either storm is too heavy for water to be absorbed by soil where the soil is impermeable or when the water becomes saturated

Question 18

Evapotranspiration

Answer 18

Loss of water through the pores of vegetation and land surface

Question 19

Transpiration

Answer 19

Water loss from the pores of vegetation into the atmosphere as water vapour

Question 20

Throughflow

Answer 20

Sideways movement of water that can eventually cause a spring on the side of a valley

Question 21

Hydrological cycle

Answer 21

As system caused of a series of inputs, transfers, stores and outputs

Question 22

Erosion

Answer 22

Wearing away of rocks and it’s removal by streams, ice, wind and waves

Question 23

Vertical erosion

Answer 23

The downward erosion of a river valley

Question 24

Lateral erosion

Answer 24

The sideward erosion of a valley

Question 25

Hydraulic action

Answer 25

Force of water hitting the bed and banks. Most effective when water is moving fast and there is lots of it

Question 26

Abrasion

Answer 26

Load the river is carrying repeatedly hitting the river bed and banks, causing some of the material to break off

Question 27

Attrition

Answer 27

Stones and boulders carried by river get knocked together and are worn into smaller bits over time

Question 28

Traction

Answer 28

Boulders are too heavy and can only be moved by rolling along the river bed by the force of water

Question 29

Saltation

Answer 29

Load the river is being bounced along bed e.g small stones or sand. The size of the sediment into big and heavy to remain afloat for a long time

Question 30

Suspension

Answer 30

Small particles are carried along in water e.g silts and clays. When large amounts of sediment are carried in suspension, it can make water look cloudy

Question 31

Solution

Answer 31

Dissolved load within river which only occurs with certain rock types e.g chalk and limestone. The load is not visible

Question 32

Process of deposition

Answer 32

Where river dumps/leaves materiel that it’s been carrying. Largest is dumped first because heaviest.
Smaller the load, further it can be transported so is deposited further downstream

Question 33

Confluence

Answer 33

The point at which two rivers meet

Question 36

Drainage basin

Answer 36

Area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

Question 37

Discharge

Answer 37

The amount of water in a river passing a certain point at a certain time measured in cumecs (cubic meters per second) depends on velocity and speed

Question 38

Cross profile

Answer 38

A line representing changes in the river valley or channel from one side to the other

Question 39

Flood

Answer 39

Occurs when a river carries so much water that it cannot be contained by its banks and so it overflows to surrounding land - flood plain

Question 40

Flood plain

Answer 40

Flat land around a river that gets flooded when the river overflows

Question 41

Gorge

Answer 41

A narrow steep sided valley

Question 42

Hard engineering

Answer 42

Building artificial structures aimed at controlling natural processes

Question 43

Hydrograph

Answer 43

Shows how a river responds to a particular storm

Question 44

Interlocking spurs

Answer 44

Ridges which extend alternatives from opposite sides of a v-shaped valley in the upper course of a river

Question 45

Long profile

Answer 45

A line showing changes in altitude of a river along its course from source to mouth

Question 46

Soft engineering

Answer 46

This option works with natural river system and avoids building on areas that are prone to flooding. Warn people about possible floods and planting trees increasing lag time

Question 47

Waterfall

Answer 47

An abrupt, sometimes vertical drop in a river in its long profile

Question 48

Climate change

Answer 48

Long term change in earths climate especially a change due to an increase in average atmospheric temperature

Question 49

Quaternary period

Answer 49

Period of geological time from 2.6 million years ago to present