Landform Detective: Rivers
The landforms of a river and how they are made: waterfalls and gorges in the upper course, and meanders, ox-bow lakes, floodplains and levees in the lower course, with named examples from the River Tees.
Use it, the way the marks are given
Free interactive practice at using the material, which is what the marks are for.
Start revising freeWhat you'll cover
Read the story in the river
A river carves and builds different landforms all the way from its source to the sea. High in the hills it cuts down to make waterfalls and gorges; lower down it swings side to side to make meanders and ox-bow lakes and spreads mud to make floodplains. This module works through those landforms and how each one forms, using the River Tees for real examples.
River landform words to know
Learn these before you play detective.
Upper course against lower course
Landforms belong to different parts of the long profile.
Place it, then tell the story
In the exam, place each landform on the long profile and tell it as a story. High up the river cuts down, so a band of hard rock makes a waterfall that wears back to leave a gorge. Lower down the river swings from side to side, so a meander deepens until its neck is cut through and an ox-bow lake is left, and floods spread mud to build a floodplain. Name a real river such as the Tees, and give the stages in the right order.
Match the landform
- waterfall
- gorge
- meander
- ox-bow lake
- a steep drop over hard rock
- a narrow valley left as a fall retreats
- a bend in the river
- a curved lake cut off from a bend
Match the detail
- interlocking spurs
- a waterfall
- a floodplain
- a levee
- the upper course, where the river winds round hills
- forms where hard rock lies over soft rock
- the flat land built up in the lower course
- a raised bank of mud along the river
How is an ox-bow lake made?
How is an ox-bow lake formed?
- A meander is cut off from the river
- A waterfall wears backwards
- Rocks are dropped at the source
- The valley is cut into a V shape
True about river landforms
Select the TWO true statements about river landforms.
- Waterfalls and gorges form in the upper course
- A meander is a bend in the middle and lower course
- A floodplain forms in the steep upper course
- An ox-bow lake forms before the meander does
Average the drop
A river drops a total of 300 metres from source to mouth across 3 equal sections. Divide 300 by 3 to find the average drop for each section in metres. What is the answer?
Order the ox-bow story
Put the stages that make an ox-bow lake in order, earliest first.
- The river swings in a wide meander
- Erosion narrows the neck of the meander
- The river cuts through the neck in a flood
- The old bend is left as an ox-bow lake
Complete the story
A steep drop where a river falls over hard rock is a _____. The narrow valley left as it retreats is a _____. A bend in the lower course is a _____. A curved lake cut off from a bend is an _____ lake.
Spot the upper-course landforms
Tap the TWO landforms of the upper course.
- a waterfall over a band of hard rock
- a gorge left as the waterfall retreats
- an ox-bow lake beside a meander
- a wide, flat floodplain
Identify the landform
Read each real river clue and name the landform.
- On the River Tees, water plunges over a band of hard rock in the upper course. What landform is this?
- A loop in a lower-course river is cut off during a flood, leaving a curved lake behind. What landform is this?
- Where along a river would you expect to find a wide, flat floodplain?
Explain river landforms
Explain how river landforms form and where they are found along the river.
- Name landforms of the upper course and how a waterfall and gorge form
- Explain how a meander becomes an ox-bow lake
- Give a named river and say where each landform is found