Rivers - Key definitions Flashcards
(29 cards)
define tributary
a small stream or river which flows into a main river
what is a drainage basin?
an area of land drained by a river
define meander
a bend in the river
what does impermeable mean?
rock that does not allow water to soak into it
define evaporation
the change from a liquid to a gas
what is a waterfall?
the sudden (often vertical) drop in a river
define erosion
the wearing away of land by rivers
what does the phrase ‘porous’ mean
rock that has spaces in between its particles
define deposition
the dropping of material carried by rivers
what does ‘transportation’ mean?
the movement of eroded material from one place to another
what does ‘transpiration’ mean?
the flow of water vapour from plants into air
what is a flood plain?
the flat land around a river which gets flooded when the river overflows
where/what is Cross Fell?
the source of the River Tees at 893m above sea level
what does the term ‘the source’ mean?
where a river begins
define ‘Levees’
RAISED BANKS either side of the river channel, caused by DEPOSITION OF SEDIMENT during a flood
what is a mouth of a river?
- where a river ends
- where the river flows into a sea or lake
define confluence
the point where two streams/rivers meet
what is a watershed?
the boundary of a drainage basin
define weathering
the breakdown and decay of rocks in situ
define erosion
the set of processes that wear down the bed and banks of a river
define mass movement
when material moves down a slope due to gravity
what is sliding?
-form of mass movement
- a down-slope movement of material that occurs along a surface of weakness (e.g. fault, joint of bedding plane)
what is slumping?
when a whole section of land moves down a slope
define interlocking spurs
upstanding ridges of land that a river flows around
