The process that wears away the river bed and banks
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Hydraulic action
- This is the sheer power of the water as it smashes against the river banks. Air becomes trapped in the cracks of the river bank and bed and causes the rock to break apart
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Abrasion
When pebbles grind along the river bank and bed in a sand-papering effect
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Attrition
When rocks that the river is carrying knock against each other. They break apart to become smaller and more rounded
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Solution
When the water dissolves certain types of rocks, eg limestone
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Transportation
How the river carries sediment downstream
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Traction
large, heavy pebbles are rolled along the river bed. This is most common near the source of a river, as here the load is larger
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Saltation
pebbles are bounced along the river bed, most commonly near the source
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Suspension
- lighter sediment is suspended (carried) within the water, most commonly near the mouth of the river
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Solution
the transport of dissolved chemicals. This varies along the river depending on the presence of soluble rocks
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Deposition
When a river drops any of the material it has been carrying due to a loss of energy
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What are the factors leading to deposition?
Shallow water/ At the end of the river's journey, at the river's mouth/ When the volume of the water decreases
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Drainage basins
The area of land around the river that is drained by the river and its tributaries.
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Watershed
the area of high land forming the edge of a river basin
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Source
where a river begins
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Mouth
where a river meets the sea
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Confluence
the point at which two rivers meet
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Tributary
a small river or stream that joins a larger river
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Channel
this is where the river flows
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Long profile
a line representing the river from its source to its mouth
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Upper course
in the upper course, where the river starts, there is often an upland area. The river's load is large in the upper course, as it hasn't been broken down by erosion yet.
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Lower course
in the lower course, the land is a lot flatter. The river's load is fine sediment, as erosion has broken down the rocks.
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Cross profile
A cross-section of the valley and channel of a river.
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Lateral erosion
The wearing away of the landscape when a river erodes sideways.
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Load
The particles of rock carried by a river.
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Valley
A low area of land between hills or mountains, typically with a river flowing through it
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Vertical erosion
When the land is eroded or worn away in a downwards direction, eg a river that is high up will erode vertically because gravity pulls the water downwards.
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
Hydraulic action
Back
- This is the sheer power of the water as it smashes against the river banks. Air becomes trapped in the cracks of the river bank and bed and causes the rock to break apart
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