GEOG1402: The Dynamic Earth - Flowing Water and Fluvial Landforms

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary related to flowing water and fluvial landforms, including definitions and descriptions of important concepts.

Drainage Basin

A geographic region drained by a single trunk stream and its tributaries.

Stream Order

A system that ranks streams based on the number of tributaries flowing into them.

Fluvial erosion

Erosion by running water, the most important and widespread agent of erosion.

Stream Discharge

The volume of water flowing past a fixed point within a stream channel.

Suspended load

Small particles that remain suspended in flowing water, giving streams a muddy appearance.

Dissolved load

Soluble minerals carried in solution by a stream.

Meander

Looping bends on streams that flow through flat floodplains.

Knickpoint

A location where there is an abrupt increase in stream gradient over a short distance.

Braided streams

Streams that form intertwining channels around sediments in the streambed.

Delta

An accumulation of sediments that forms where a stream reaches its base level.

Estuaries

Where rivers meet standing water and are influenced by tidal factors.