Distinctive Landscapes Flashcards
(20 cards)
Fetch
Definition
How far the wave has travelled
Swash
Definition
The water flowing towards a beeach when a wave breaks
Backwash
Definition
The movement of water down the beach
Landscape
Definition
The interaction between people and place
Sedimentary Rocks
Definition and Description
- Soft rock
- Particles deposited on top of each other
- Millions of years to form
- Often has fossils inside
Igneous Rocks
Definition and Description
- Hard Rock
- Formed by volcanic activity
- Molten lava cooled and crystals formed
- Fast cooling = small crystals
- Slow cooling = large crystals
Metamorphic Rocks
Definition and Description
- Hard Rock
- High pressure and temp act on other rocks
- Diff rocks changing cause interlocking crystals to form
Weathering
Definition
The breakdown or dissolving of rocks and minerals on the surface of the Earth
Drainage Basin
Definition
An area of land drained by a river system
Erosion
Definition
The breakup and removal of the land
Upper course features
V-shaped valley
Formation of a V-shaped Valley
- Form due to the low water pressure in upper course
- Erodes vertically as is mostly done by gravity
- More material goes into valley as it deepens and process continues due to gravity
Middle course features
- Meander
- Fluvial
Meander
Definition and Formation
- A bend in a river found in the middle course
- River has to energy to erode laterally and vertically
- Water flows fastest on outside of the bend so erosion takes place there
- Inside of the bend has less energy and deposition occurs, creating a Meander
Oxbow Lakes
Definition
A U-shaped lake that forms from a meander when the main stem of a river is cut off
Formation of an Oxbow Lake
- Meander becomes more sinuous and neck gets tighter
- Water eventually cuts through the narrow meander, making a new river channel
- Oxbow lake gets further detached due to deposition and evntually dries up due to not getting enough water
Sinuosity
Definition
The curving nature of a meander/ how curvy it is
Floodplain
Definition
A wide flat area on either side of a river which floods when the river overflows
Levees
Definition
The mounds made of fluvial material found parallel to a river in the middle or lower course
Longshore Drift
Definition
The current that transports material along the coast
