Earth: Our Home

Full Geography

Chapter 12
Rivers

1
 You Will Learn:

• to describe the river system

• to explain the different river
processes
• to explain the formation of
river landforms and features
• to discuss the effectiveness
of river channel
management measures

2
Rivers play an important role in the hydrologic cycle.
Study the figure below.

Rainfall
Condensation

Transpiration

Evaporation
Runoff
Groundwater

What are the different processes in the hydrologic

cycle? What role does the river play in the
hydrologic cycle? 3
 River source
Tributaries

River mouth

Upper course Middle course Lower course

A river is a body of water that flows in a channel.

Aided by gravity, it always flows downhill from its
source. A river can be divided into three sections
— the upper, middle and lower courses. 4
Characteristics Along a River —
Channel and River Valley

Upper Middle Lower

Course Course Course
Channel Narrow, Wider, Widest,
shallow deeper deepest

Gradient Steep Less steep Almost flat

Volume of
water Low Higher Highest
5
Read the definition of a watershed and a drainage
basin in your textbook.

Now study the picture below carefully. Where

would you find, in the picture, the:
• ‘drainage basin’?
• ‘watershed’?

6
 Processes of a River
The processes of a river are determined by how
much energy a river has. In turn, how much energy
a river has is determined by two very important
factors…

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Factors that Determine Energy

• Speed of a river’s flow

• Volume of a river’s flow

8
 Factors Affecting
Speed of a River
• Gradient of a channel
- Is it very steep?
- Is it very gentle?
• Roughness of the channel
- Are there many obstacles causing friction
to the flow of the river?
• Wetted perimeter
- How much of the river’s flow is in contact
with the river’s channel?
9
 Factors Affecting
Volume of a River
• Size of drainage basin
- Is it very big? Or small?

• Presence of vegetation
- How does the vegetation intercept rainfall and cause
a decrease in surface runoff in the short term?

10
 Factors Affecting
Volume of a River
• Permeability of rocks
- High permeability?
- Low permeability?

• Climate
- Does the climate have a distinct wet season?
- How does climate affect vegetation growth?
- How is the volume of a river therefore
affected?
11
 River Processes

Recall the factors affecting the energy of a river:

• Under what conditions will a river have excess

energy?
• What will it do with the excess energy?

12
 Processes — Erosion

• Hydraulic action
• Corrasion
• Attrition
• Solution

13
Study the incomplete table below. What should be
in the blanks?

Type of Erosion Erosive Agent

Corrasion
?
Fast-flowing water
?
Solution ?
Rock fragments
?
14
 Processes — Transportation
Study how the river transports its load when it has
sufficient energy.

View the animation at:

http://www.school-portal.co.
uk/GroupDownloadFile.asp?file=21393 15
 Processes — Deposition
When a river has insufficient energy, it will deposit
its load.

16
Study the photograph below. Which rock (A, B or C)
will be deposited first? Second? Last? Why?

B
A
17
Consider the following materials, which will be
DEPOSITED last?

Gravel
Silt
Clay

18
Consider the following materials, which will be
ERODED last?

Gravel
Silt
Clay

Warning: This is a trick question !!!!

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 Landforms — Waterfalls
More erosion
Less
ss k erosion
e
L oc e ss k
n tr ock L oc
r ck
More
s ta ntr n t
tr
o erosion
s i ta nt t a n
re s i s t a
is rock e s is i sta a nt
r e s r s t
is rock
re re re s
o s e re
M Le
s or s s
M Le

ss
Le ock
n tr ck
a r o
s is t nt
re a
s ist nt
Waterfall
Plunge
re t a
is rock
e pool
or re
s
M s s
Le 20
Landforms — Waterfalls

21
Landforms — Gorges

River

Waterfall

Gorge
Hard rock

22
Landforms — Valleys

Broad and flat valley

23
 Landforms —
Floodplains and Levees

Width of floodplain
Levee
Width of channel made up of
Fine sediments coarse
sediments

Alluvium

Raised river bed

24
 Meanders
Meandering is a means for the river to widen its river valley.

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Within the meander, both erosion and deposition occur.

River cliff
created on Slip-off
outer bank slope
created on
inner bank
Concave
slope Convex
slope

Outer Deposition
bank is Eroded of
undercut materials sediments
by erosion

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 Landforms — Oxbow Lakes

Study the animation at the following website

carefully to see how an oxbow lake is formed:
http://www.school-portal.co.uk/GroupDownloadFile
.asp?file=21606

27
 Landforms — Deltas
A delta is a depositional feature commonly formed at the
river mouth.

River
Land

Delta Distributaries

Sea

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 What are Floods?
Floods occur when a river channel is unable to hold the huge amount of water within it.

Two reasons:
• Too much water in
the channel — due
to high precipitation
• Too much sediments
in the channel —
reducing the channel
capacity
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 Management of River Flooding

Channelisation

Increasing Speed of Preventing Bank

Flow Erosion

Realignment, re-sectioning Bank protection, planting vegetation

30
 Effectiveness of Channelisation

Consider how effective channelisation is in terms

of:
• Cost
• Other impacts along the river system:
- Upstream
- Downstream

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