V-Shaped Valley

• Hydraulic action is when water forces air into rocks, dislodging them.
• Abrasion is when rocks in the water are dragged along the river bed, grinding it down.
• Solution is when salts and acids in the river dissolve minerals in the rock
• Attrition is when rocks in the water hit off each other and break into smaller pieces.
• Rivers begin high up in the mountains, so they flow quickly downhill eroding the landscape
• The river cuts a deep notch down into the landscape, due to vertical erosion.
• As the river erodes downwards, the sides of the valley are exposed to frost shattering which loosens the rocks which fall into the river, steepening the sides.
• The rocks add erosive power to the river, making it deeper and wider
• This leaves a v-shaped valley between interlocking spurs