Fluvial Processes: Erosion, Transportation & Deposition

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to river erosion, transportation, and deposition processes.

Erosion

The wearing away of the river’s bed and banks by flowing water and its load.

Vertical Erosion

Downward cutting of a river channel that deepens the valley, common in the upper course.

Lateral Erosion

Sideways erosion that widens the river valley, more dominant in the middle and lower courses.

Hydraulic Action

Erosive force of moving water striking the riverbanks and bed, loosening material.

Abrasion

Process where the river’s load scrapes and chips away at the bed and banks, acting like sandpaper.

Attrition

Collisions between transported stones that break them into smaller, smoother pieces.

Solution (Erosion)

Chemical process in which slightly acidic water dissolves soluble rocks such as limestone.

Transportation

The movement of eroded material downstream by the river’s flow.

Traction

Transport method in which the heaviest boulders and pebbles roll along the riverbed.

Saltation

Bouncing motion of medium-sized particles along the bed of the river.

Suspension

Transport of fine particles that are held within the water column, giving the river a muddy appearance.

Solution (Transportation)

Movement of dissolved minerals carried within the water itself.

Deposition

Dropping of sediment when the river loses velocity and energy.

River Mouth Deposition

Large-scale settling of material at the river’s end where a gentle gradient and tidal influence reduce velocity.