Rivers part 1

• What is relief

  relief describes the physical features of the landscape
• What does relief include

  -height above sea level

  -steepness of slopes

  -the shape of landforms
• What is an areas relief mainly determined by

  By its geology (rock type)
• Why would an area of high relief have?

  rocks are hard and resistant so don't mould easily leading to steep hills/mountains

  e.g. granite-Arran, Scotland
• Why would an area have low relief

  rocks are soft and less resistant so can erode easily leading to low lying hills

  e.g. clay & limestone-Cotswold hills
• What is a landscape

  an area whose character (appearance) is the result of the action and interaction of natural (erosion) and human(buildings) factors
• What is the source of a river

  the upland area where the river begins
• What is the water shed

  a boundary dividing one drainage basin from another- a ridge of high land
• What is the drainage basin

  The area of land around the river that is drained by the river and its tributaries
• What is a confluence?

  The point where two rivers join
• What is a tributary

  A stream or river that flows into a larger river
• What is the mouth of a river

  Where a river flows into the sea or a lake
• What are the parts of a river

  source, water shed, drainage basin, confluence, tributary and mouth
• What is the long profile of a river?

  Changes in the rivers gradient from the source to the mouth

  
• What is the cross profile of a river

  A cross profile shows a cross-section of a river's channel and valley at a certain point along the river's course.

  
• What are the two directions of erosion

  vertical and lateral
• What does vertical erosion do to a river

  Makes the river deeper

  happens on the river bed
• What does lateral erosion do to a river

  makes the river wider

  happens on river banks