River Processes Lab
How a river shapes the land from source to mouth: its changing course, the erosion, transport and deposition that carve valleys and build floodplains, and why rivers like the Exe flood.
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From source to sea 🏞️
A river is a landscape-shaping machine. As it flows from its **source** in the hills to its **mouth** at the sea, it wears rock away, carries it along, and drops it again. In this module you will follow a river down its **course**, meet the erosion and deposition that carve its landforms, and see why rivers like the **River Exe** in Devon flood.
The river words 🔑
Four processes and features run through this topic:
Upper and lower course ⚖️
A river looks and behaves very differently near its source and near its mouth.
Follow the river 🪜
An interactive activity.
Match each term 🔗
- Hydraulic action
- Abrasion
- Meander
- Ox-bow lake
- The force of the water breaking rock away
- Rocks carried by the river scrape and wear the bed
- A bend in the river in the middle or lower course
- A cut-off loop left when a meander is bypassed
Where is the V-shaped valley? 🎯
In which part of a river do you find a steep, narrow V-shaped valley?
- The upper course
- The lower course
- The mouth
- The floodplain
Which erode the river? ✅
Select the TWO processes by which a river ERODES its bed and banks.
- Hydraulic action
- Abrasion
- Deposition of sediment
- Traction along the bed
Case study: the River Exe 🌊
The **River Exe** rises on Exmoor and flows south through Devon to the sea near Exmouth. As it flows it transports its load by traction, saltation, suspension and solution. In its lower course the Exe crosses a flat floodplain, and after heavy rain it can overflow. **Exeter** has suffered from **river flooding**, which is why flood defences have been built.
Rivers in words 🧱
In its _____ course, a river flows fast down steep slopes and cuts a V-shaped valley. As the river carries its load, small particles bounce along the bed in a process called _____. A bend in a river is called a _____, and when its neck is cut off it leaves an _____. In the lower course the river slows and drops its load, building up a flat _____.
Erosion or deposition? 🖍️
An interactive activity.
What is a meander? 🌀
What is a meander?
- A bend in a river
- A steep waterfall
- The source of a river
- A straight upland stream
How an ox-bow lake forms 🔄
An interactive activity.
Read the river 🧭
An interactive activity.
Down the whole river ✍️
An interactive activity.