River Processes
and Lanforms:
Case study-
River don flood
Sheffield 2007-
Freeze Thaw:
In cold winter months rain enters a crack in a rock
and freezes. Freezing exerts pressure on the rock
and eventually causes it to break into many small
pieces.
Overhang:
Eventually overhanging rock will collapse
and will make the waterfall become
steeper. If it continues to happen the
position of the waterfall will move
upstream.
Undercutting:
The water flows down over
resistant rock when it
reaches less resistant rock
underneath , it erodes it
away cutting back in the rock
creating the overhang above.
Plunge Pool:
Its at the foot of the waterfall where an area of deep
water is created by rapid erosion of the mudstone as the
water plunges down. The higher the waterfall the greater
teh speed of erosion due to the higher speed the water is
travelling at.
Mudstone:
Where rivers flow over rocks at
different resistances the softer rock
will be eroded away quicker.
Mudstone wears awake quick
creating a step whcih gradually
becomes deeper.
Ox-bow Lake:
Some land is eroded away which creates a
quicker route for water to flow round.
Meanders:
As the river erodes laterally from left
to right it creates bends in the river
that look like a horse shoe shape.
Interlocking Spurs:
As the river erodes the
landscape it winds and bends
to avoid areas of hard rock.
'V' Shaped Valleys:
Is in the upper course of the river
and is where vertical erosion
occurs making it deeper and the
valleys still steeper.
Delta:
Its found at the mouth of a river
and is formed when material is
deposited faster than what the sea
can remove it at.
Floodplains:
Floodplain is the area
around a river that is
affected when it floods.
Drainage Basin:
Drainage basin is the area
of land that is drained by
a river.
Catchment Area:
Catchment area is the area
with the drainage basin.
Tributary:
Is a stream or small
river that joins onto a
larger river.
Source:
A source is the beginning of a
river.
Mouth:
The mouth of a river is where it comes to an
end or where it enters the sea.