Environmental-Rivers

• What are important processes that happen in the river system?

  Erosion, transportation, deposition.
• What is found in the upper-coarse of the river?

  A waterfall and gorge
• What is found in the middle coarse of a river?


  Meanders and Oxbow lakes
• What is found in the lower coarse of the river?


  floodplains, levees and deltas
• How does a waterfall form?


  A waterfall forms when a river after flowing over relatively hard rock meets a band of less resistant rock over the edge of a plateau. The rock starts to erode leaving a space which causes water to flow in great speeds.
• What are gorges?

  Deep narrow valleys with steep sides. Which are formed when a waterfall retreats backwards.
• What are meanders?


  Are curves in a river. Formed due to erosion on the outside bend and deposition on the inner bend
• What are oxbow lakes?


  The large bend of the meander becomes a horseshoe and is eventually cut off to become an oxbow lake
• What are floodplains?

  A floodplain is a fertile piece of land which is found on the sides of the river. This land floods regularly and leaves sediment behind called alluvium.
• What are Deltas?

  Deltas are the last feature of a river and are found at the mouth, which is the area that touches the sea. Deltas are formed from depoition of material at the mouth of the water.
• What is erosion?

  Erosion is the process of wearing away rocks.
• What is transportation?


  The movement of eroded material
• What is deposition?

  The process of sediment being laid down or deposited.
• What are alluvial soils?


  These are deposits that are left over the floodplain after a flood. These include silt mud and clay
• What are Levees?

  These are natural man made banks which are often higher than the floodplain.