Rivers

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199 Terms

1
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What is a river?

Freshwater flowing downhill in a river channel from the source to mouth.

2
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Is a river made up of freshwater or saltwater?

Freshwater

3
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Does a river move downhill or uphill?

Downhill

4
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Define: Source

Where a river begins.

5
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Define: Mouth

The end of the river where it joins with a larger body of water.

6
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Define: Confluence

The point where two rivers join.

7
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Define: Tributary

Smaller rivers that join a main river.

8
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Define: Watershed

The edge of a drainage basin.

9
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Define: Drainage Basin

The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries.

10
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Define: Estuary

When river freshwater mixes with the seas saltwater.

11
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Define: Discharge

The volume of water in a river.

12
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Define: Channel

The path a river flows in.

13
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Define: Bedload

All the sediment in a river channel.

14
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Where does a river begin and end?

Begins at the source

Ends at the mouth

15
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What is the point at which 2 rivers meet?

Confluence

16
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What are smaller rivers that join a main river?

Tributary

17
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What is the edge of a drainage basin?

Watershed

18
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What is the area of land drained by a river and its tributaries?

Drainage basin

19
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What is a mix of freshwater and saltwater?

Estuary

20
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What is the volume/amount of water in a river?

Discharge

21
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What is the path a river flows in?

River channel

22
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Define: Erosion

The breakdown/wearing away and movement of rock, such as the banks and bed of the river.

23
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What is the breakdown/wearing away and movement of rock, such as the banks and bed of the river?

Erosion

24
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Name the four types of erosion

  • Hydraulic Action

  • Abrasion

  • Attrition

  • Corrosion

25
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Name the two directions of erosion

Vertical and Lateral

26
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Which type of erosion acts in a downwards direction - eroding mainly the bed?

Vertical erosion

27
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What type of erosion acts in a sideways direction - eroding mainly the banks?

Lateral erosion

28
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Does vertical erosion act sideways or downwards?

Downwards

29
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Does lateral erosion act sideways or downwards?

Sideways

30
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Does vertical erosion mainly erode the bed or banks?

Bed

31
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Does lateral erosion mainly erode the bed or banks?

Banks

32
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Which direction of erosion occurs in the upper course?

Vertical erosion.

33
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What is hydraulic action?

The power of flowing water into cracks in the rivers banks/bed, breaking pieces off and eroding it.

34
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What is abrasion?

Small boulders and rocks scratch and scrape along the river’s bed/banks during transport, wearing away the banks and bed.

35
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What is attrition?

Rocks knock and bang against each other, breaking pieces off and smoothing/rounding the rocks.

36
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What is corrosion?

Dissolving of soluble rocks by chemicals in the river like chalk and limestone.

37
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“The power of flowing water into cracks in the rivers banks/bed, breaking pieces off and eroding it.” - What type of erosion is this?

Hydraulic action

38
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What type of erosion involves water getting into cracks in the rock?

Hydraulic action

39
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Dissolving of soluble rocks by chemicals in the river like chalk and limestone.“ - What type of erosion is this?

Corrosion

40
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What type of erosion involves the dissolving of rocks by chemicals in the water?

Corrosion

41
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“Rocks knock and bang against each other, breaking pieces off and smoothing/rounding the rocks.” - What type of erosion is this?

Attrition

42
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What type of erosion involves rocks banging against each other?

Attrition

43
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“Small boulders and rocks scratch and scrape along the river’s bed/banks during transport, wearing away the banks and bed.“ - What type of erosion is this?

Abrasion

44
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What type of erosion involves rocks scraping along the rivers bed and banks?

Abrasion

45
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Name the four types of river transport

  • Solution

  • Saltation

  • Suspension

  • Traction

46
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What is traction?

Large heavy boulders are rolled slowly along the river bed by the force of the water.

47
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What is saltation?

Pebbles are bounced along the river bed.

48
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What is suspension?

Lighter sediment is suspended and carried within the water.

49
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What is solution?

The transport of dissolved rock/chemicals.

50
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“Large heavy boulders are rolled slowly along the river bed by the force of the water.” - Which type of river transportation is this describing?

Traction

51
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What type of transport involves slowly rolling rocks along the river bed?

Traction

52
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“Pebbles are bounced along the river bed.“ - Which type of river transportation is this describing?

Saltation

53
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What type of transport involves rocks bouncing along the river bed?

Saltation

54
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“Lighter sediment is suspended and carried within the water.” - Which type of river transportation is this describing?

Suspension

55
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What type of transport involves sediment suspended in the river?

Suspension

56
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“The transport of dissolved rock/chemicals.” - Which type of river transportation is this describing?

Solution

57
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What type of transport involves dissolved chemicals/rocks?

Solution

58
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What is deposition?

When a river loses energy, it drops any sediment it had been carrying during transportation.

59
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When does deposition occur?

When velocity of the river drops so the river loses energy.

60
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Freeze thaw weathering

Water gets into a crack in the rock, freezes and expands. The process repeats, weakening the rock and eventually making it fully breakdown.

61
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Describe a long profile

A diagram showing the full length of the river and it’s gradient (steepness) from its source to its mouth. It shows how the river changes across all three courses.

62
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Which profile shows the full length of the river and it’s gradient (steepness) from its source to its mouth?

Long profile

63
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Describe a cross profile

A diagram showing a section of a river’s channel and valley sides. It shows the width, depth and banks of the river.

64
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Which profile shows the width and depth of a river: its bed and banks?

Cross profile

65
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Which profile shows the length of a river?

Long profile

66
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Which profile shows a rivers gradient?

Long profile

67
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What is the fastest flow back to the river?

Surface run off

68
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What are the 3 processes in which water travels back to the river?

Surface run off, through flow and groundwater flow

69
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Precipitation

Rain, hail, sleet or snow

70
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Interception

Leaves/Trees catching the rain as it falls towards the ground

71
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Inflitration

Water seeping into the soil

72
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Percolation

Water seeping into the rock layer beneath the soil

73
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Throughflow

Water flows through the soil back to the river

74
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Groundwater flow

Water flows through the rock towards the river

75
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What is it called when water seeps into the soil?

Infiltration

76
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What is it called when water seeps into the rock layer beneath the soil?

Percolation

77
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What is it called when water flows through the soil back into the river?

Throughflow

78
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What is it called when water flows through the rock back into the river?

Groundwater flow

79
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What type of rock does not allow liquid to pass through?

Impermeable rock

80
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What type of rock allows liquid to pass through?

Permeable rock

81
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Name the 3 courses of a river

Upper, middle and lower course

82
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Describe the velocity, discharge, energy and shape in the upper course

  • Low velocity

  • Low discharge

  • Low energy

  • Narrow + Shallow + Steep

83
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Describe the velocity, discharge, energy and shape in the lower course

  • High velocity

  • High discharge

  • High energy

  • Wide + Deep

84
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Which course is narrow and shallow?

Upper course

85
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Which course is wide and deep?

Lower course

86
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What course is the source found in?

Upper course

87
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What course is the mouth found in?

Lower course

88
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Which course has the fastest velocity?

Lower course

89
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Which course has the slowest velocity?

Upper course

90
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Which course has the highest discharge?

Lower course

91
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Which course has the lowest discharge?

Upper course

92
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Why is velocity slow in the upper course?

Low discharge means there’s lots of friction between the rocks and water

93
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Why is velocity fast in the lower course?

  • High discharge so less friction between rocks/water

  • Lots of energy means that the river moves quickly

94
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Why does the width of a river channel increase as you move downstream?

Tributaries join + lateral erosion occurs

95
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Why does the discharge of a river channel increase as you move downstream?

Tributaries join

96
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Which type of erosion explains why sediment carried by a river becomes smaller as you move downstream?

Attrition

97
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Why does the depth of a river channel increase?

Vertical erosion

98
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Why does the size of sediment tend to decrease downstream?

More erosion - especially attrition which reduces the size of sediment

99
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Landform

Unique natural features on the earths surface

100
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Name upper course landforms

  • V-Shaped Valley

  • Interlocking spurs

  • Waterfall

  • Gorge

  • Plunge pool