River Profiles Flashcards

All 6 cards in this deck

What is the long profile of a river?

A side view along the river's course showing how the height (gradient) of the river channel changes from source to mouth.

What is the cross profile of a river?

A cross-section taken across the river valley and channel at one point along its course.

Give one way a river valley may change as it goes downstream.

The valley gradient becomes less steep (also: the valley becomes wider/more open, or a flood plain develops).

True or false? A river channel generally gets wider as it flows downstream.

True. The river increases in width downstream from the source.

Where along a river does vertical erosion dominate, and where does lateral erosion dominate?

Vertical erosion dominates in the upper course, cutting a steep V-shaped valley. Lateral erosion dominates in the middle and lower course, widening the valley.

True or false? A river channel becomes shallower as it flows downstream.

False. The channel gets deeper as well as wider downstream, because it carries a larger volume of water.