![]() ![]() Miño river estuary, Spain (Source: Turismo A Guarda). Estuary: water flows out of the river's mouth at high velocity, so sediments quickly go into a fast-moving sea. ![]() The Ebro river delta, Spain (Source: La Vanguardia). Sediments block the mouth of the river as it flows into slow-moving sea water. Delta: formed by the deposition of large amounts of sediment as the water velocity slows down.(Source: Wikipedia).Īt the mouth of the river we may find two different types of landforms: In this part of the river's course, groundwater aquifers are often recharged and sometimes tributaries join the main channel. Fast water carries sediment while slow water deposits it. In antiquity, it was known as Maíandros, and gave us the word meander to describe sinuous curves in a river or. Sometimes there are settlements in these valleys, exposed to hazards from high water flows or floods. map (3.6 MB JPEG) satellite image (4.6 MB JPEG) As it winds from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River is in constant flux. This is the Büyük Menderes, the longest river to flow into the Aegean. These fertile river valleys are often used to grow irrigated crops, taking advantage of the soil's fertility and the availability of water. Transported sediments are collected in these large plains, including nutrients that fertilise the river valley. In this part of the course, the discharge may spread over the floodplain during high water periods. The river no longer has erosion capacity, and the processes that predominate are sedimentation and transport of very fine material. The lower course is the final part of a river, where the gradient and the water velocity decrease. Image of a meander in the Amazon river (Source: Lifeder). The valley becomes wider as the river meanders. In meandering courses, erosion occurs on the outer, concave bank, and sediments are deposited on the inner, convex bank. The channel may be anastomosed and meandering. Transport and sedimentation processes prevail over erosion.įlat and wide valleys are formed, known as alluvial plains or floodplains. The river channel widens, discharge increases, and the gradient becomes less steep. In the middle course of the river the water velocity slows down in comparison with the upper course. Waterfall at the source of the Cuervo river, Spain (Source: Wikipedia). The most common features we find in this part of the river are waterfalls, rapids, potholes, etc. In this part of the course, erosion of the river bed leads to V-shaped valleys, gorges and canyons, where water has a high oxygen content. In the upper course, erosion and transport processes prevail over sedimentation. The upper course of a river is where we find its source (often in mountainous regions of the river basin) here it flows down steep slopes as a fast flowing stream. Along the course, there are differences in river flow that depend on its velocity, which determines the river's erosion, transport and sedimentation.ĭiagram of the parts of a river (Source. In geography we differentiate three parts of a river along its longitudinal profile, which is a graphical representation as a line of the course of a river, from source to mouth. Formation of Delta At the river mouth, a river loses energy and starts to deposit its sediments. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |