Stream and River Deposit

Placer Deposit

(bend load) heavy minerals are sometimes deposited at places in a river where the current slows down

Delta

(dissolved and suspended loads) a fan-shaped pattern created when a load is deposited in a river when its current slows

watershed

(drainage basins) the area of land that is drained by a water system

What are the benefits of a dam?

-control flooding -redirect the flow of water -creates artificial lakes that can (irrigate) provide a water supply to farmland during droughts -stored water can generate electricity

Old Rivers

-low gradient rivers with little erosive energy -characterized by wide, flat floodplains (valleys) and have many bends

Condensation

3C's - cooling, clouds, condensation water vapor-->water-->gas-->liquid (through cooling)

Rejuvenated River Stage

Gradient: HIGH or MODERATE FAST/MODERATE flow HIGH/MODERATE Erosive Energy

Youthful River Stages

Gradient: High/Channel:Narrow Fast flow Few Tributaries High erosive energy

Old River Stage

Gradient: LOW/Channel: WIDE SLOW flow FEW Tributaries LOW Erosive Energy

Mature River Stages

Gradient: Moderate/Channel: Wide MODERATE Flow MANY Tributaries MODERATE Erosive Energy

Bed Load

LARGE materials carried along a stream bed (pebbles and boulders)

What is largest watershed in the U.S.?

Mississippi River watershed

Suspended Load

SMALL rocks and soil carried downstream causing it to look muddy

What drains a watershed?

a water system

Floodplain

areas along a river that forms from sediment deposited when a river overflows

What are the tree types of load that a stream can carry?

bed load, suspended load, dissolved load

Levee

build up of sediment deposited along the channel of a river

Gradient

change in elevation- the measure in the change in elevation over a certain distance

What are some factors that influence the development of the river?

climate, gradient, and load

Water Cycle

continuos movement of the Earth's water from the ocean to the atmosphere to the land and back to the ocean

What are two types of barriers that can prevent flooding?

dams and levees

Percolation

downward movement of water through pores and other spaces in the soil

Mature Rivers

erode chanels WIDER rather than steeper, they have good drainage allowing for more discharge

Youthful Rivers

erode channels DEEPER rather than wider, they flow quickly because of their steep gradient

Alluvial Fan

fan-shaped deposits that form on dry land

Rejuvenated Rivers

found where the land is raised by tectonic activity -rivers become steeper and the river flows more quickly -step-like formations (terraces) form on both sides of the stream valley

What are 3 factors that affect the rate of stream erosion?

load, gradient, and discharge

Load

material- the material carried by a stream

Where do deltas usually form?

on a flat surface and its usually made up of mostly mud

Channel

path that a steam follows

Which of the following places forms at places in a river where the water current flows?

placer deposit

Runoff

precipitation that flows over land into streams and rivers. The water later enters oceans.

Erosion

process by which soil and sediment are transported from one location to another

deposition

process in which material (sediment) is laid down or dropped

Precipitation

rain, snow, sleet or hail falls from the clouds onto the Earth's land and oceans

sediment

rock and soil deposited by streams

When do rivers and streams deposit sediment?

speed of the water current slow (decreases)

How does a channel turn into a river?

starts off narrow and steep then rock and soil being carried downstream widens and deepens it until it turns to a river

Tributary

stream that flow into a lake or a larger stream

Where does the water cycle get its energy?

the Sun

What affect the size of a load?

the stream's speed (fast moving stream carry large loads than slower ones)

Why are floodplains both good and bad for farming?

they destroy crops but produce rich, fertile land for farmers

Dam

type of barrier that can control flooding

Dissolved Load

very fine materials that dissolve in the water that can't be seen (sodium and calcium)

Discharge

volume of water- the amount of water that a stream or river carries at a given time

Evaporation

water-->water vapor -->liquid-->gas (through heating)

What type of regions are river systems divided into?

watersheds

River

what a stream turns into when it gets wider and deeper

What are the agents of erosion?

wind, rain, ice and snow