Case study: The River Tees
Middle Course
Quick recap
Upper Course
Middle Course
On the upper course section
of your A3 River Tees profile,
annotate the key features of
the upper course of the river.
Make sure you add labels
summarising:
- The shape of the valley
- Erosion
- Landforms with named
examples where appropriate.
Lower Course
What will I learn today?
A*
C
E
SOME of us will ALSO provide a comprehensive
description of the variety of changes in Tees Valley .
SOME of us will ALSO analyse the factors leading to
changes in valley shape and explain in detail the
changes in the resulting landforms.
MOST of us will ALSO be able to describe the key
differences between different sections of the River
Tees. MOST of us will ALSO explain why these changes
occur and the processes behind the resulting
landforms.
ALL of us will be able to understand the basic differences
between the upper and middle courses. ALL of us will also
be able to explain in simple terms why these differences
exist.
The Middle Course
- Watch the clip of the River
Tees as it moves from its
upper to its middle course.
- Look carefully at how the
shape of the valley changes
and the course of the actual
river itself.
- Also think about other
aspects of the river such as
its gradient and the volume
of water it is carrying.
V-shaped Valley
Changes
U-shaped Valley
-The valley of the River Tees has become a lot wider and taken on more of a Ushape.
- Although some vertical erosion does take place, lateral erosion is the more
dominant force.
- Bedload is made up of smaller and smoother pebbles.
- River discharge is greater as tributaries have fed their water into the main
river. The flow of the river begins to meander rather than flowing straight.
- Although gradients are gentler, velocity is greater as there is now less friction
from the river bed and banks.
Describing and Explaining the Changes
Upper Course
Middle Course
Lower Course
Annotate the middle
section of your
diagram describing
and explaining the
changes in the river
and its valley.
Meanders
-As the rivers enters the middle course it begins to bend side to side to
create a common landform known as a meander.
- Watch the video clip carefully which explain the processes involved
in the formation of a meander.
Sketch and then annotate a diagram of a meander explaining the
processes that lead to its creation.
Ensure that you:
- Direct your arrows
pointing to the specific
feature that your label is
discussing.
- Explain fully the
processes at work
creating the meander.
- Make frequent and
accurate reference to key
terms such as erosion,
deposition, point bar
river cliff etc.
What will I learn today?
A*
C
E
SOME of us will ALSO provide a comprehensive
description of the variety of changes in Tees Valley .
SOME of us will ALSO analyse the factors leading to
changes in valley shape and explain in detail the
changes in the resulting landforms.
MOST of us will ALSO be able to describe the key
differences between different sections of the River
Tees. MOST of us will ALSO explain why these changes
occur and the processes behind the resulting
landforms.
ALL of us will be able to understand the basic differences
between the upper and middle courses. ALL of us will also
be able to explain in simple terms why these differences
exist.
Mastermind – The River Tees
Question 1
Explain the processes leading to the creation of a
V-shaped valley.
Question 2
Name the upper course of the River Tees
most famous natural feature.
High force
(waterfall)
Question 3
Explain why the discharge of the River Tees
increases as it moves from the upper to the
middle course.
Question 4
Explain the processes behind the formation of a
meander bend.
Question 5
Explain the role of meanders in changing the
shape of the River Tees valley