1. Geomorphology
Landforms of Fluvial Erosion

2. 1. Waterfalls
 What part of the
river course would
you expect to find
this feature?
 Identify 3 features of
this waterfall?
 How does this
feature move
upstream?
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3. 1. Waterfalls
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4. 2. Rapids
 What type of river
flow is characteristic
of rapids?
 What process of river
erosion has produced
the rounded river
stones and rocks?
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5. 3. Potholes
 Describe the three
processes of
erosion responsible
for the formation of
potholes?
 What role do the
narrow river gorges
play in the process?
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6. 4. Meanders
Identify the two types of slopes or banks of a meander
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7. 4. Meanders
 Which bank of the
meander does this
photo show?
 How does this bank
develop?
 What problems could
such a feature cause in
an urban area?
 How do town planners
solve this problem?
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8. Direction of Erosive Action
 Describe the direction
of erosion in the upper
course of a river that
leads to the formation
of waterfalls and rapids.
 Describe the direction
of erosion in the middle
and lower courses of a
river that leads to the
formation of meanders.
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9. 5. Oxbow Lakes/Meander Scars
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10. Formation of Oxbow Lakes
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11. Formation of Oxbow Lakes continued
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12. Formation of Oxbow Lakes continued
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13. Formation of Oxbow Lakes continued
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14. Formation of Oxbow Lakes continued
 In meandering rivers, sediment is eroded on the
outside of bends (undercut banks) and deposited on
the inside of bends (slip off slope)
 Over time, this causes meander loops to migrate
downstream
 If the movement of one meander loop overruns the
next one downstream, then a meander cut-off is
formed
 This causes the course of the channel to be shortened
as the two meander loops join
 The abandoned meander loop is gradually isolated as
sediment is deposited at each end by the water flow in
the main channel. This process eventually leads to the
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creation of an oxbow lake

15. This has been
a
Production
COPYRIGHT WBHS 2005
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