Rivers Lecture Notes Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards about river erosion.

Erosion

The wearing away and removal of material by a moving force such as water

Erosion vs. Weathering

The breakdown of material which is then transported away, but weathering is the breakdown of rocks in situ.

Hydraulic Action

The force of the water in the river against the banks can cause air to be trapped in rocks eventually breaking them apart

Abrasion

The scraping of rocks against the bed and banks

Attrition

Larger rocks colliding and breaking into smaller rocks

Traction

Large rocks being rolled along the river bed

Saltation

Smaller pebbles bounding along the river bed

Suspension

Fine particles being carried within the river

Lateral Erosion

The sideways movement of erosion which usually occurs in the middle and lower course of a river

Vertical Erosion

The downwards movement of erosion which usually occurs in the upper course of a river

Course of the river with more vertical erosion

Upper course

Course of the river where you find erosional landforms

Upper course

Drainage Basin

The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries

Course of the river where you find meanders and ox-bow lakes

Middle course

Deposition

When material/sediment is dropped by the river, when the river loses energy

Reasons a river might deposit material

When the velocity of the river has slowed down / the material is too large or heavy to be carried / inside bend of a meander