Geography GCSE Rivers, Geography GCSE Rivers, Rivers

Precipitation

When water comes back down to Earth from clouds in the form of hail, rain, snow or sleet.

Runoff

When water washes off quickly.

Rainfall that does not get absorbed by the soil.

Levee

A embankments on the sides of the river made from layers of sediment deposited from flooding.

Evapo-transpiration

When water does not return to the sea, but, instead goes back into the atmosphere, usually by trees and plants.

Groundwater flow

When water flows underground

Confluence

The point where two tributaries meet up together

Watershed

The dividing line that divides between two drainage Basin

Tributaries

The very small streams that occur near the source and join up and flow into the main river.

Meander

When rivers bend or make winding curves

Ox-bow Lake

A Lake that is made from a cut-off meander. It is separated from the main river by deposits of silt and material

Delta

A land-form located at the mouth of the river , made up of dis-tributaries and deposits of silt and material.

Lateral Erosion

Erosion of the sides of the river.

Solution

When bits of material are transported by dissolving it in the water

Traction

When big boulders are transported by rolling along the bed of the river.

Saltation

When small rocks are transported by bouncing on the bed of the river

Suspension

When very small bits of rocks are transported by it being suspended and carried along with the water flow.

V-Shaped Valley

A river valley whose cross section looks like a v, made by the vertical erosion of rivers.

Interlocking Spurs

When the river juts out between hills

Waterfall

A Land-form made from the wearing away of soft rock,where water flows down from a height.

Gorge

A deep narrow passage with a rocky walls and a river running between them. Made from the backwards retreat of waterfall.

Infiltration

When rainwater seeps through the soil and ground

Water Table

A level underground where below it, all the spaces in the rocks have been filled with water

Drainage Basin

The whole area where the land is drained by rivers and its tributaries

Source

Where the point of origin of the river is at.

River Erosion

The wearing away of the river's banks and beds.

Abrasion

When rocks and pebbles that are transported remove material from the banks and bed by wearing them away

Hydraulic Action

When the sheer force of the water is enough to remove material and erode the river bed and banks

Solution or Corrosion

Some soft rocks are chemically attacked and slowly dissolve in water

Attrition

When the pebbles transported rub against each other and erode themselves into sand-sized particles, due to friction.

Distributary

When a river branches off at the mouth of the river, and is located in the delta.

Slip-Off Slope

A gentle slope at the inner bend of a river, made from the deposition of material

River Cliff

A steep bank at the outer bend of the river, formed when the force of the water undercuts the bank.

Deposition

The laying down of matter to the bottom of the river.

Flood Plain

The flat, low-lying land on either sides of the rivers where sediment is deposited formed by flooding and often gets flooded.

Alluvium

The greatest thickness of river-deposited material

Silt

Small and fine parts of rocks

Undercutting

Wearing away the lower part of the rock.

Flooding

When an area or place is submerged in water

Water Balance

The difference between the amount of precipitation that falls and the amount of water that is evapo-transpired.

River Management

Plans and processes implemented on rivers to control water flow and discharge or for a profit.

River Discharge

How much water is flowing in to the river at a given location and time.

River Discharge:Climate

The more rainfall that falls down, the quicker and bigger the discharge will be.

River Discharge:Geology

Impermeable rocks will increase the rate of runoff, while permeable rocks will slow down the rate of runoff.

River Discharge:Vegetation

Vegetation will intercept rainfall and slow down the rate of runoff, while lack of it will increase the rate of runoff.

River Discharge:Relief

Steeper slopes and relief will increase rate of runoff, while gentle slopes will slow the rate of runoff

River Discharge:Size and Density of Drainage Basin

The bigger the drainage basin longer it takes for the water to reach the river but the denser the drainage basin, the faster the water will reach the river.

River Discharge:Land Use

Urban areas, due to tarmac and pipes and sewage systems, will speed off runoff, while woodland and open ground and field will slow down runoff.

Fast Flow

Occurs on the outside of the bend

Slow Flow

Occurs on the inside of the bend

Lag Time

The time The time between rainfall peak and peak discharge. The time taken for river levels to rise after a storm.

Plunge Pool

A deep basin at the bottom of waterfall, formed by big rocks (from formation of waterfall) wearing away at the bottom and the force of the water.

Peak rainfall

The greatest amount of rainfall that falls in a storm

Peak Discharge

The greatest volume of water that flows in the river at a given time.

Storm Hydrograph

A graph that plots the increase of a river's discharge during and following a storm.

Catchment Area

The area from which the streams and tributaries collect water from inside the drainage basin.

river transportation

The material that the river erodes is transported away by the water

velocity

..., Includes the speed of an object and the direction of it's motion.

energy

(physics) the capacity of a physical system to do work

volume

Amount of space occupied by a fluid

bedrock

The solid layer of rock beneath the soil

bedload

a load of coarse sediment, mostly coarse silt and sand, that moves along a riverbed (bottom) due to the flowing of water, in contrast to being carried in suspension

straight river

one channel

braided river

A single channel flowing with many shallow interconnecting channels.

vertical erosion

Downward cutting action of a river that deepens its bed, often forming a V-shaped valley.

potholes

Holes carved into rock at the base of river with a whirlpool action.

rapids

A fast-flowing and turbulent part of the course of a river

point bar

deposit of sediment build up by a river on the inside bend of a meander

braided drainage

area is fairly saturated and boggy with water such as glacier runoff. Sheet flood can be common

interception

As precipitation approaches the surface, some of the rainfall will strike plant leaves, branches and other objects that protrude from the ground surface.

through flow

the movement of water in the soil sideways, towards the river

permeable rock

the ability of a rock or sediment to let fluids pass through its open spaces or pores

impermeable rock

rock that does not allow liquid or gas to flow through it

groundwater

water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers

Hydrological Cycle

The cycle that shows and describes the movement of water on earth and includes flows and stores.

Precipitation

When water comes back down to Earth from clouds in the form of hail, rain, snow or sleet.

Runoff

When water washes off quickly.

Rainfall that does not get absorbed by the soil.

Levee

A embankments on the sides of the river made from layers of sediment deposited from flooding.

Evapo-transpiration

When water does not return to the sea, but, instead goes back into the atmosphere, usually by trees and plants.

Groundwater flow

When water flows underground

Confluence

The point where two tributaries meet up together

Watershed

The dividing line that divides between two drainage Basin

Tributaries

The very small streams that occur near the source and join up and flow into the main river.

Meander

When rivers bend or make winding curves

Ox-bow Lake

A Lake that is made from a cut-off meander. It is separated from the main river by deposits of silt and material

Delta

A land-form located at the mouth of the river , made up of dis-tributaries and deposits of silt and material.

Lateral Erosion

Erosion of the sides of the river.

Solution

When bits of material are transported by dissolving it in the water

Traction

When big boulders are transported by rolling along the bed of the river.

Saltation

When small rocks are transported by bouncing on the bed of the river

Suspension

When very small bits of rocks are transported by it being suspended and carried along with the water flow.

V-Shaped Valley

A river valley whose cross section looks like a v, made by the vertical erosion of rivers.

Interlocking Spurs

When the river juts out between hills

Waterfall

A Land-form made from the wearing away of soft rock,where water flows down from a height.

Gorge

A deep narrow passage with a rocky walls and a river running between them. Made from the backwards retreat of waterfall.

Infiltration

When rainwater seeps through the soil and ground

Water Table

A level underground where below it, all the spaces in the rocks have been filled with water

Drainage Basin

The whole area where the land is drained by rivers and its tributaries

Source

Where the point of origin of the river is at.

River Erosion

The wearing away of the river's banks and beds.

Abrasion

When rocks and pebbles that are transported remove material from the banks and bed by wearing them away