8.ESS.3 - Constructive & Destructive Forces (Rivers & Streams)

Constructive Force

A natural process that builds up land and creates new landforms, such as volcanoes forming islands.

Destructive Force

A natural process that breaks down and wears away landforms, such as water wearing down rock into sand.

Hydrosphere

All the water found on Earth, including oceans, rivers, lakes, groundwater, glaciers, and vapor in the air.

Erosion

The picking up and moving of rock pieces and soil from one place to another by water, wind, ice, or gravity.

Deposition

The dropping off and settling of sand, rock, and soil in a new location when moving water or wind slows down.

Weathering

The breakdown of rocks and minerals into smaller pieces while staying in the exact same place.

Gradient

The steepness or slope of a river channel from its start to its end.

Discharge

The amount or volume of water flowing past a specific point in a river within a certain amount of time.

Velocity

The speed and direction of water moving through a river channel.

Load

The total amount of mud, sand, pebbles, and dissolved minerals carried along by a flowing river.

Meander

A broad, curving S-shaped or C-shaped bend in a slow-moving river.

Oxbow lake

A curved, crescent-shaped pool of water left behind when a river cuts a straight path and cuts off a loop.

Delta

A triangular piece of land built by deposited mud and sand where a river enters an ocean or lake.

Alluvial Fan

A fan-shaped pile of sediment created when a rushing mountain stream suddenly slows down on flat land.

Flood Plain

The flat land next to a river that fills with water and rich soil whenever the river overflows its banks.