Geography: River Landforms, Urban Growth, and Fieldwork Methods

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering river landform processes (waterfalls and valleys), urban growth causes and impacts in LICs/NEEs, and fieldwork investigation methods.

Hydraulic Action

The erosion process in rivers caused by the sheer force of moving water.

Abrasion

The mechanical wearing down of a riverbed caused by rocks scraping against the bed.

Solution (River Erosion)

The river erosion process in which river water dissolves soluble rock.

Plunge Pool

A deep basin formed at the base of a waterfall as soft rock beneath an overhang is eroded away and deepened by fallen rocks swirled around through abrasion.

Gorge

A steep-sided valley left behind as a waterfall retreats upstream due to the repeated collapse of its unsupported hard rock overhang.

V-Shaped Valley

A narrow, deep valley created in the river's upper course where high energy causes vertical erosion downwards, while weathering (freeze-thaw, rain) and soil creep break down the steep sides.

Lateral Erosion

Sideways erosion occurring in the middle and lower courses of a river that causes the valley to widen and flatten.

Hanging Valley Waterfall

A waterfall formed when a glacier carves a deep, steep-sided valley, leaving a tributary river to enter the main valley high above the floor.

Faulting (Waterfall Formation)

The formation of a waterfall caused by earth movement, where land drops or rises along a fault line to create a sudden step in the river bed.

LIC and NEE

Acronyms representing Low-Income Country (LIC) and Newly Emerging Economy (NEE).

Rural Push Factors

Negative countryside conditions driving people to leave, such as poverty, lack of jobs, poor schools/hospitals, unreliable rainfall, and few available services.

Urban Pull Factors

Attractions drawing rural migrants to cities, including the hope of work, better education/healthcare, entertainment, and a brighter future.

Natural Increase (Urban Context)

Population growth occurring when improved healthcare lowers infant deaths and increases life expectancy, leading to more births than deaths in cities.

Informal Work

Unregulated employment opportunities often found in urban areas of LICs and NEEs, including street vending, transport, and building.

Primary Data (Geographical Fieldwork)

Firsthand data gathered directly by visiting sites to see features in person, take photographs, and record physical measurements such as river width, depth, and speed.

Secondary Sources (Geographical Research)

Existing published resources—such as maps, census data, satellite images, and news reports—used to add geographic scale and identify long-term trends.

Cross-Checking

The practice of matching firsthand fieldwork observations against published secondary sources to identify mistakes and obtain a fuller picture.

Land Use Change (Urban Growth)

The transition of farmland and woods into built environments, such as housing estates, industrial zones, shopping centres, and expanded roads.

Economic Shift (Urban Growth)

The transition of a local economy from farming and small trade to manufacturing, services, and tourism as primary employers.