Section C (1) - Rivers
Studied by 3 people
Learn
Practice Test
Spaced Repetition
Match
Flashcards1/197
There's no tags or description
Looks like no tags are added yet.
Name | Mastery | Learn | Test | Matching | Spaced |
|---|
No study sessions yet.
198 Terms
What is a river?
Body of freshwater flowing downhill in a river channel from the source to mouth.
Is a river made up of freshwater or saltwater?
Freshwater.
Does a river move downhill or uphill?
Downhill.
Define: Source
Where a river begins.
Define: Mouth
The end of the river where it joins with a larger body of water.
Define: Confluence
The point where two rivers join.
Define: Tributary
Smaller rivers that join a main river.
Define: Watershed
The edge of a drainage basin.
Define: Drainage Basin
The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries.
Define: Estuary
When river freshwater mixes with the seas saltwater.
Define: Discharge
The volume of water in a river.
Define: Channel
The path a river flows in.
Define: Bedload
All the sediment in a river channel.
Where does a river begin and end?
Begins at the source & Ends at the mouth.
What is the point at which 2 rivers meet?
Confluence.
What are smaller rivers that join a main river?
Tributary.
What is the edge of a drainage basin?
Watershed.
What is the area of land drained by a river and its tributaries?
Drainage basin.
What is a mix of freshwater and saltwater?
Estuary.
What is the volume/amount of water in a river?
Discharge.
What is the path a river flows in?
River channel.
Define: Erosion
The breakdown/wearing away and movement of rock, such as the banks and bed of the river.
What is the breakdown/wearing away and movement of rock, such as the banks and bed of the river?
Erosion
Name the 4 types of erosion.
Hydraulic Action, Abrasion, Attrition & Corrosion.
Give the two directions of erosion.
Vertical and Lateral.
Which type of erosion acts in a downwards direction - eroding mainly the bed?
Vertical erosion
What type of erosion acts in a sideways direction - eroding mainly the banks?
Lateral erosion
Does vertical erosion act sideways or downwards?
Downwards.
Does lateral erosion act sideways or downwards?
Sideways.
Does vertical erosion mainly erode the bed or banks?
Bed.
Does lateral erosion mainly erode the bed or banks?
Banks.
Which direction of erosion occurs in the upper course?
Vertical erosion.
What is hydraulic action?
The force or power of flowing water entering cracks in the rivers banks/bed, breaking pieces off.
What is abrasion?
Small boulders and rocks scratch and scrape along the river’s bed/banks during transport, wearing away the banks and bed.
What is attrition?
Rocks knock and bang against each other, breaking pieces off and smoothing/rounding the rocks.
What is corrosion?
Dissolving of soluble rocks by slightly acidic river water like chalk and limestone.
“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
What type of erosion involves water getting into cracks in the rock?
Hydraulic action
“Dissolving of soluble rocks by chemicals in the river like chalk and limestone.“ - What type of erosion is this?
Corrosion
What type of erosion involves the dissolving of rocks by chemicals in the water?
Corrosion
“Rocks knock and bang against each other, breaking pieces off and smoothing/rounding the rocks.” - What type of erosion is this?
Attrition
What type of erosion involves rocks banging against each other?
Attrition
“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
What type of erosion involves rocks scraping along the rivers bed and banks?
Abrasion
Name the four types of river transport.
Solution, Saltation, Suspension & Traction.
What is traction?
Large heavy boulders are rolled slowly along the river bed by the force of the water.
What is saltation?
Pebbles are bounced along the river bed.
What is suspension?
Lighter sediment is suspended and carried within the water.
What is solution?
The transport of dissolved rock/chemicals.
“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
What type of transport involves slowly rolling rocks along the river bed?
Traction
“Pebbles are bounced along the river bed.“ - Which type of river transportation is this describing?
Saltation
What type of transport involves rocks bouncing along the river bed?
Saltation
“Lighter sediment is suspended and carried within the water.” - Which type of river transportation is this describing?
Suspension
What type of transport involves sediment suspended in the river?
Suspension
“The transport of dissolved rock/chemicals.” - Which type of river transportation is this describing?
Solution
What type of transport involves dissolved chemicals/rocks?
Solution
What is deposition?
When a rivers velocity drops so it loses energy and drops any sediment it had been carrying during transportation.
When does deposition occur?
When velocity of the river drops so the river loses energy.
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.
Describe a cross profile.
A diagram showing how a river’s channel and valley changes as it flows downstream. It shows the width, depth and banks of the river.
What is the fastest flow back to the river?
Surface run off.
What are the 3 processes in which water travels back to the river?
Surface run off, through flow and groundwater flow.
Define: Precipitation
Rain, hail, sleet or snow.
Define: Interception
Vegetation catches the rain as it falls towards the ground.
Define: Inflitration
Water seeping into the soil.
Define: Percolation
Water seeping into the rock layer beneath the soil.
Define: Throughflow
Water flows through the soil back to the river.
Define: Groundwater flow
Water flows through the rock towards the river.
What is it called when water seeps into the soil?
Infiltration.
What is it called when water seeps into the rock layer beneath the soil?
Percolation.
What is it called when water flows through the soil back into the river?
Throughflow.
What is it called when water flows through the rock back into the river?
Groundwater flow.
What type of rock does not allow liquid to pass through?
Impermeable rock.
What type of rock allows liquid to pass through?
Permeable rock.
Name the 3 courses of a river.
Upper, middle and lower course.
Describe the velocity, discharge, energy and shape in the upper course.
Low velocity due to friction between rocks and water.
Low discharge.
Low energy.
Narrow + Shallow + Steep gradient.
Describe the velocity, discharge, energy and shape in the lower course.
High velocity.
High discharge.
High energy.
Wide + Deep + Smooth.
Flat and gentle gradient.
Which course is narrow and shallow?
Upper course.
Which course is wide and deep?
Lower course.
What course is the source found in?
Upper course.
What course is the mouth found in?
Lower course.
Which course has the fastest velocity?
Lower course.
Which course has the slowest velocity?
Upper course.
Which course has the highest discharge?
Lower course.
Which course has the lowest discharge?
Upper course.
Why is velocity slow in the upper course?
Low discharge means there’s lots of friction between the rocks and water.
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.
Why does the width of a river channel increase as you move downstream?
Tributaries join + lateral erosion occurs.
Why does the discharge of a river channel increase as you move downstream?
Tributaries join.
Which type of erosion explains why sediment carried by a river becomes smaller as you move downstream?
Attrition.
Does the upper or lower course have large, heavier sediment? Why?
Upper course. Erosion is yet to occur and break down rock.
Does the upper or lower course have finer, smaller sediment? Why?
Lower course. Erosional processes such as attrition break down the rock.
Why does the depth of a river channel increase?
Vertical erosion.
Why does the size of sediment tend to decrease downstream?
More erosion - especially attrition which reduces the size of sediment.
Define: Landform
Unique natural features on the earths surface.
Name upper course landforms.
V-Shaped Valley.
Interlocking spurs.
Waterfall.
Gorge.
Plunge pool.
Name middle course landforms.
Meander.
Ox bow lake.
River Cliff.
Slip Off Slope.
Name lower course landforms.
Levée.
Floodplains.
Mudflats.
Meander - Slip off slope & River cliff.
Ox bow lake.
Estuary.
Name erosional landforms.
Waterfall.
Interlocking spurs.
V-Shaped valley.