Rivers Booklet

Question 1

This is the water cycle where water evaporates, condenses and precipitates.

Answer 1

Hydrological Cycle

Question 2

This is when water changes from a liquid to a gas

Answer 2

Evaporation

Question 3

This is water vapour changing into tiny droplets of water, forming clouds

Answer 3

Condensation

Question 4

This is when water droplets get larger and fall as rain, hail, sleet or snow

Answer 4

Precipitation

Question 5

This is a piece of high land separating two drainage basins

Answer 5

Watershed

Question 6

This is the land that a river drains

Answer 6

Drainage Basin

Question 7

This is the start of a river

Answer 7

Source

Question 8

This is where the river flows

Answer 8

Channel

Question 9

This is at the mouth of the river where it goes into the sea

Answer 9

Estuary

Question 10

This is a small river flowing into a larger or main river

Answer 10

Tributary

Question 11

This is where the river goes into the sea

Answer 11

Mouth

Question 12

This is where two or more rivers join

Answer 12

Confluence

Question 13

This is the water that runs on the surface of the ground after heavy rain

Answer 13

Runoff

Question 14

This is the water that evaporates from plants as water vapour into the atmosphere

Answer 14

Transpiration

Question 15

This is the ground surface or rock that allows water to seep through it

Answer 15

Permeable

Question 16

Water seeping into the ground

Answer 16

Infiltration

Question 17

Water in the rocks, flowing towards the sea

Answer 17

Groundwater

Question 18

Describe the water cycle

Answer 18

The Sun provides heat.
Water evaporates from oceans, puddles, streams, rivers and lakes.
Water condenses into droplets to form clouds.
Clouds rise and cool, which causes precipitation.
Water falls into the ground, lakes, oceans and rivers.

Question 19

List 5 things found in the Upper river

Answer 19

V-Shaped Valleys
Waterfalls
Lots of vertical energy
Narrow, steep sides
Begin in mountainous places

Question 20

List 5 things found in the Middle river

Answer 20

Meanders
Ox-Bow Lake
Erosion widens channel
Valley gets wider and flatter
More energy and volume

Question 21

List 5 things found in the Lower River

Answer 21

The river flows at its slowest
Deltas
Ends at the mouth, opens up to the sea
High volume of water
Floodplains

Question 22

What 2 rivers are found in North America?

Answer 22

Mississippi

Rio Grande

Question 23

What 2 rivers are found in South America?

Answer 23

Amazon

Parana

Question 24

What 3 rivers are found in Europe?

Answer 24

Rhine
Danube
Volga

Question 25

What 1 river is found in Africa?

Answer 25

Nile

Question 26

What 4 rivers are found in Asia?

Answer 26

Indus
Ganges
Yangtze
Huang

Question 27

What 2 rivers are found in Australia?

Answer 27

Murray

Darling

Question 28

Describe how V-Shaped Valleys are formed

Answer 28

The Upper Course of a river doesn’t have much water so only has enough energy to erode downwards. This is called Vertical Erosion.
The valley’s sides are slowly broken down through weathering.
The weathered material is transported by gravity and rainfall into the river channel. This process steepens the valley sides and the v-shape begins to form.
This process repeats until steep-sided, narrow v-shaped valley sides are created.

Question 29

Describe how waterfalls are formed

Answer 29

A river flows over a layer of harder rock followed by a layer of softer rock. The soft rock erodes quicker forming a step in the river bed.
The force of the water undercuts the hard rock and creates a plunge pool.
The hard rock is left overhanging and eventually collapses.
The fallen rocks crash into the plunge pool and swirl around causing more erosion. Over time this process is repeated and the waterfall moves upstream, forming a gorge.

Question 30

Describe how Rapids form

Answer 30

Rapids form when there is a layer of hard rock sticking up from the river bed. The river flows over it and causes it to turn white and turbulent.

Question 31

Describe how meanders are formed

Answer 31

The fastest flow of water is on the outside bend where erosion takes place and the channel is worn away to make a river cliff. The water flows more slowly around the inside of the bend. This causes deposition and forms a river beach. When the river overflows its banks it deposits a material called alluvium/silt.

Question 32

Describe how Oxbow lakes are formed

Answer 32

The river meanders across the floodplain.
The meander will get larger as the outside of the bend erodes.
The river floods and cuts across the meander, taking a new course.
The river has changed course, leaving and Oxbow lake where the water will evaporate and disappear over time.

Question 33

Fill in the () blanks.
Flooding can occur when there is a (1) volume of water than the river (2) can cope with. This can be caused by:
a) Urbanisation - where there is a lot of (3) and (4) causing (5) into streams after heavy (6).
b) Deforestation - Where (7) are removed in (8) areas. Water is not held in the (9) and runs off into streams and (10), causing problems after (11) rain.

Answer 33

1. Greater
2. Channel
3. Concrete
4. Tarmac
5. Run-Off
6. Rain
7. Trees
8. Upland
9. Soil
10. Rivers
11. Heavy