river landforms and how they form

how does a meander form?

1) a disturbance in the river causes a change of energy in the water flow

2) the faster flow (outside bend) causes erosion (HA). the slower flow (inside bend) causes deposition

3) overtime the processes cause a significant bend in the river. a slip off slope is created by deposition and a river cliff due to erosion

how does a levee form?

1) during a flood, water flows over the banks and deposits silt

2) this creates levees

3) in between floods slow moving river deposits silt in the riverbed

4) with each flood the levees are built up

5) between the floods the river bed is built up too

6) theres a new river level as the levees build up

how does a v-shaped valley form?

1) water will flow on the surface usually a small stream

2) due to hydraulic action, vertical erosion leads to the river cutting deep in the valley

3) overtime the river gets wider resulting from lateral erosion

4) this process continues until you get a v-shaped valley

how does a waterfall form?

1) the hard rock overlies the soft rock

2) the water (through HA) erodes the soft rock resulting in the undercutting of the hard rock

3) an overhang is left which is unsupported and so it collapses

4) a plungepool has been created due to the water (through abrasion) the plungepool gets deeper

5) the waterfall retreats creating a gorge