Rivers
KEY WORDS AND TERMS:
Erosion
Transport
Deposition
River basin
Tributary
Source
Mouth
Confluence
Meander
Flood plain
Oxbox lake
Waterfall
Upper, middle and lower course
How do rivers alter the landscape?
Moving water has energy. The faster it moves the more energy it has.
Rivers have energy, and they can wear things down, move things and
carry them along as they flow. We call this the work of the river.
The faster a river flows, the more energy it has and the more work it
can do.
Streams and rivers alter the landscape by redistributing material
through the three processes of erosion, transportation and deposition,
The river erodes mud, soil and other material from places, transports it down stream and
deposits somewhere else. This changes the shape of the landscape.
Creating meanders and oxbow lake
In this picture, soil and mud is being eroded from various points on
the bank. It’s being transported in the direction of the white arrows
and deposited downstream (the sandy patches). This is changing the
course of the river
This picture shows the same river many many years later, the erosion
and deposition have created such a deep meander that it has nearly
formed a circle
Eventually, the river erodes so much that it cuts off part of the
meander and creates an oxbow lake
Write the correct tem next to its definition. Then write its translation.
Term
Definition
Translation of term
is a small stream or body of water
that flows into a larger body of water.
the landform occurring at the river
mouth, where the river meets the
sea.
where a river joins another river
basically the end point of the river,
where it flows into either the sea, a
lake, or a larger river
bends or turns in watercourse or
river.
the land that water flows across or
under on its way to a river.
the original point from which the river
flows
a crescent-shaped lake lying
alongside a winding river
flat and dry land that's alongside a
stream, river or lake and ends up
covered by water during a flood
The Course of a River
A river flows through a piece of land called a ‘River Basin’. The river basin is all the land
that is drained of water by a river and the streams that flow into it. Below are some of the
features you will find in a river basin.
This is the Long Profile of a river – in 3 sections which each have their own features.
UPPER COURSE – The course is a steep slope
The start of a river is its source, which could be melting snow or ice or spring (water
bubbling out of the ground). The source of a river is usually in upland areas such as
mountains or hills.
Small streams flow downhill from the source and join other streams
until they form the main river of a river system. The streams are the
tributaries of the main river. In upland areas, water in streams and
rivers is very fast-flowing, cutting and eroding the land to form valleys,
and features such as waterfalls.
MIDDLE COURSE – The course is less sloping than before
Where two streams join, or a stream joins a river, this is called a
confluence.
When the ground becomes flatter, the river slows down and starts to
swing from side to side, this is called
meandering. The large bends it makes are
called meanders.
Sometimes, these large bends become cut off from the main
river, and ox bow lakes are formed.
LOWER COURSE – The course is slightly sloping or practically flat
The river widens and starts to cross a flood plain. This is a wide, flat area
either side of the river. It is used for flooding.
The end of a river, where it flows into the sea or sometimes a lake, is called its mouth.
The area where the river meets the sea (the tidal part of the river) is
called the estuary.
A delta may be formed near the mouth of the
river, if the land is very flat and the river is
very slow-flowing and carrying a lot of
sediment.
Comprehension Questions
1. What is the name for the beginning of the river?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. Where does the water come from at the start of a river – name 2 places?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. Put these features in the order you’d expect to find them in a river:
SOURCE
…………………………
MOUTH
FLOOD PLAIN
WATERFALL
MEANDER
………..……………… ………………………… ……………………………. ………………………….
4. Match the letter to the feature
Mouth
Source
Gorge
Meander
Waterfall
Tributary
5. A confluence is a
a) A small river that feeds into a big river
b) The join of two rivers
c) A type of valley formed by erosion
6. Circle the features that can happen at the end of a river:
Delta
Meander
Plunge pool
Mouth
Tributary
Lake
Estuary
Confluence