RIVERS.
Erosional and deposition
landforms.
EROSIONAL LANDFORMS
The process of erosion can create different
landforms. The erosional features are often found in
the upper course of the river.
Waterfall and gorges
A waterfall is a
sudden drop along
the river course. It
forms when there are
horizontal bands of
resistant rock (hard
rock) positioned over
exposed, less
resistant rock (soft
rock).
Interlocking spurs:
In the upper course there
is more vertical erosion.
The river cuts down into
the valley. If there are
areas of hard rock which
are harder to erode, the
river will bend around it.
This creates interlocking
spurs
Erosional landforms
Meanders
• As the river makes its way
to the middle course, it
gains more water and
therefore more energy.
• Lateral erosion starts to
widen the river.
• When the river flows over
flatter land they develop
large bends
called meanders.
•As a river goes around a bend, most of the water is pushed
towards the outside. This causes increased speed and therefore
increased erosion (through hydraulic action and abrasion).
•The lateral erosion on the outside bend causes undercutting of
the bank to form a river cliff.
•Water on the inner bend is slower, causing the water to slow down
and deposit the eroded material, creating a gentle slope of sand
and shingle.
•The build-up of deposited sediment is known as a slip-off
slope (or sometimes river beach).
Oxbow lakes
Due to erosion on the
outside of a bend and
deposition on the inside,
the shape of a meander
will change over a period
of time.
Erosion narrows the neck
of the land within the
meander and as the
process continues, the
meanders move closer
together.
Depositional landforms:
Alluvium or silt- a fine
muddy material that is
left behind after floods.
Alluvium
Floodplains
A floodplain is an area of land which is covered in water
when a river bursts its banks.
Erosion removes any interlocking spurs, creating a wide,
flat area on either side of the river.
Floodplains are often agricultural land, as the area is very
fertile because it's made up of alluvium (deposited silt from
a river flood).
Summary
A river course is seldom straight.
It usually has many bends which causes it to
meander down its valley.
The outside of a river bend in worn away by erosion
while the inside is built up by deposition.