AQA · Geography · 8035
GCSE Geography: River landscapes (video)
Fluvial processes and landforms — erosion, transport, deposition and the changing river course — from tutor2u. Each card deep-links to the video.
24 flashcards · Free to study · No account needed
Study this deck
Preparing your cards…
All questions and answers
Read through the full deck, or practise recalling each answer above.
What is a tributary?
Show answer
A small stream feeding into the main river channel.
What is a drainage basin?
Show answer
The area of land that is drained by one river and its tributaries. Also known as the catchment area.
What is a confluence?
Show answer
Where two or more rivers join together.
What is the watershed in river geography?
Show answer
The area of highland that separates two drainage basins.
What is hydraulic action?
Show answer
The force of water hitting the riverbank and squeezing air into cracks in the rocks, weakening them from the inside.
What is abrasion in river erosion?
Show answer
The force of sediment and rocks in the water scratching and scraping away at the riverbank and bed.
What is attrition?
Show answer
The process of rocks hitting each other and breaking into smaller rocks as they're transported along.
In river transportation, what is traction?
Show answer
The process where heavy rocks and boulders are rolled along the riverbed.
In river transportation, what is saltation?
Show answer
The process where small stones and pebbles bounce along the riverbed.
What type of erosion is dominant in the upper course of a river?
Show answer
Vertical erosion, which creates steep-sided V-shaped valleys.
What is discharge in river geography?
Show answer
The volume of water passing through a river at a given point.
How do plant roots help reduce river erosion?
Show answer
The roots bind the soil together, providing reinforcement and stabilizing the slope.
What term describes an area of deposited material on the inside of a meander?
Show answer
Slip-off slope (also known as a point bar).
? cages are a method of reinforcing river banks using metal cages filled with rocks.
Show answer
Gabion
Are gabion cages an example of hard or soft river engineering?
Show answer
Hard engineering. Hard engineering involves building structures, while soft engineering works with nature.
What landform is created when a meander is cut off completely by deposition?
Show answer
An oxbow lake.
What is the lag time on a hydrograph?
Show answer
The difference between the peak rainfall and the peak discharge.
What is dredging a river channel?
Show answer
Digging out the riverbed to keep it clean and free of debris, which decreases the risk of flooding.
Floodplain zoning is a ? engineering technique that works with nature.
Show answer
soft
Where in a meander is river velocity usually lowest?
Show answer
On the inside of the bend, because it is shallower and therefore has more friction.
In which course of a river would you typically find interlocking spurs?
Show answer
The upper course, close to the source of the river.
Which river process is dominant at the mouth of a river like the Ganges?
Show answer
Deposition. This creates features like deltas.
What type of hydrograph is produced by a large river basin with low gradient slopes and rural landscape?
Show answer
A low flat hydrograph with a long lag time and a low peak.
What type of hydrograph is produced by a small river basin with high gradient slopes and high urbanization?
Show answer
A flashy hydrograph with a short lag time and a high peak.
Want to create your own cards? Create a free account. AI generation uses credits.