over the long profile of the river, which of the following is an upper course - channel feature

What is the channel in the upper course of a river?

Upper course - this is where the river starts and is usually an upland area. Slopes are steep - this can increase the velocity of the river after heavy rainfall, when discharge is high. The river channel is narrow and shallow here.

What is the most common long profile of a river?

The long profile of a river shows changes in the height (altitude) of the course of a river from its source to its mouth. A long profile is usually concave and the slope becomes more gentle towards the mouth of the river. Long profiles usually have irregularities such as waterfalls or lakes.

What is the upper part of a river called?

upper courseThe upper course, middle course, and lower course make up the river. The source of a river is closest to the upper course. The land is high and mountainous, and the river is fast-flowing.

What does the upper course of a river mean?

The upper course of a river is where the river begins its path toward the sea. This part of the river arguably has the most landscape features, and biggest range of physical features. Features of a river's upper course: Source - This is where the river begins.Aug 23, 2017

What is the long and cross profile of a river?

The cross profile of a river shows how the width and depth of the river valley and channel change as you travel downstream. Near the source of a river there is more vertical erosion as the river flows downhill, using its energy to overcome friction (A).Apr 17, 2020

How would you describe a long profile of a river?

A long profile is a line representing the river from its source (where it starts) to its mouth (where it meets the sea). It shows how the river changes over its course. Upper course - in the upper course, where the river starts, there is often an upland area.

What is the parts of a river?

The upper course, middle course, and lower course are the three parts of the river. The source of a river can be found on the upper course. The land is usually high and mountainous, and the river has a steep gradient with fast-flowing water. There is a lot of weathering and erosion.

What is Upper river and Lower river?

Upper course river features include steep-sided V-shaped valleys, interlocking spurs, rapids, waterfalls and gorges. Middle course river features include wider, shallower valleys, meanders, and oxbow lakes. Lower course river features include wide flat-bottomed valleys, floodplains and deltas.

What are offshoots of rivers called?

River bifurcation (from Latin: furca, fork) occurs when a river flowing in a single stream separates into two or more separate streams (called distributaries) which then continue downstream. Some rivers form complex networks of distributaries, typically in their deltas.

What are the 3 courses of a river?

The river has three different "courses", the Upper Course, Middle Course and Lower Course, each with their own different characteristics. waterfalls, interlocking spurs. meanders, floodplains.

What are the main features of the upper course of the river Severn?

The River Severn The Severn swiftly grows and forms a V-shaped valley. The river transports a large load, which allows rapid erosion to take place. Waterfalls and gorges have been formed in the upper course. As the gradient decreases, meanders can be found.

How do rapids form in a river?

Rapids are formed where a fast-flowing river quickly cuts downward through a bed of hard and soft rocks, eroding the soft rock and leaving the hard rocks standing above the water surface.

What is the area of flat land, built up from silt and alluvium where a river flows

This area of flat land, built up from silt and alluvium where a river flows into the sea is called a delta.The build-up of sediment eventually interferes with the flow of the river, causing it to split up into several channels called distributaries.

What is the term for the separation of two or more channels in a river?

Braiding: This occurs when a river divides for various distances into two or more channels. The channels are separated by islands of sediment called bars. Braiding occurs when the river carries a large load or when the volume of the water in the river changes rapidly from season to season.

What is the Nile Delta?

The Nile Delta in Egypt is a piece of land that was built as the Nile dumped sediment into the Mediterranean Sea. Take a look at the photo of the Nile Delta and the diagram below it. The Nile Delta (green area on the coast) was built up by the River Nile as it dumped sediment into the Mediterranean Sea.

How are oxbow lakes formed?

Ox-bow lakes: These are shallow crescent shaped lakes formed when a meander is abandoned by a river. Sometimes a meander becomes so pronounced that only a narrow neck of land separates the two ends of it.When the river is in flood, this neck is broken and the river starts to flow a shorter, more direct route.

What happens when a river floods?

When a river is in flood, it deposits material on its flood plain. The heaviest material is deposited near the river. After successive floods, natural embankments called levees are created alongside the river. This is shown in the diagram below.

How many sections are there in a river valley?

Typically, a river valley can be divided into three sections; the upper course, the middle course and the lower course. There are particular river features which we can expect to find in each of these sections. We shall examine each section of the river along with their various features in some detail. The diagram below shows the three sections of ...

How was the Grand Canyon formed?

The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River in the USA formed as the surrounding land was uplifted. Take a look at the photos below. Katherine Gorge was carved out by the Katherine river in Australia. The Grand Canyon was created by the Colorado river in the USA.

What are the features of a middle course river?

Middle course river features include wider, shallower valleys, meanders, and oxbow lakes. Lower course river features include wide flat-bottomed valleys, floodplains and deltas. As the river moves through the upper course, it cuts downwards. The gradient here is steep and the river channel is narrow. Vertical erosion in this highland part of the ...

What are the landforms of rivers?

River landforms can be divided into upper, middle and lower course features. These include steep V-shaped valleys, oxbow lakes and flood plains, respectively. Part of. Geography. Rivers and water.

What is vertical erosion?

Vertical erosion in this highland part of the river helps to create steep-sided V-shaped valleys, interlocking spurs, rapids, waterfalls and gorges. As the river erodes the landscape in the upper course, it winds and bends to avoid areas of hard rock. This creates interlocking spurs, which look a bit like the interlocking parts of a zip.

What is the long profile of a river?

The long profile shows the height of the river bed, above the base level, along the whole length of the river. Base level - this is the lowest point that a river bed can be eroded to. The base level of the river is usually sea level, or the level of the lake etc. that the river is flowing into. Over the entire course of the river the amount ...

What is the upper stage of a river?

The upper stage of the river is where channel roughness is at it's greatest. This means that the upper stages of a river looses a lot of it's energy to friction, meaning that although the gradient of the river is steepest in this stage, discharge and velocity are at their lowest under normal conditions.

How are meanders formed?

Meanders are formed by a combination of erosion and deposition. Where alternating areas of deep water ( pools ), and, areas of shallow water ( riffles ) form, equally spaced, along a stretch of river bed, meanders will develop. The distance between the pools is between five and six times the width of the river.

How do oxbow lakes form?

Oxbow lakes form from meanders that have been breached during events such as floods. The neck of the loop of the meander is broken through by the flood water, eroded material is then deposited where the neck has been broken through. The meander is then cut off from the rest of the river, leaving an oxbow lake behind.

What is the name of the section of a river that has a steep gradient?

Rapids. Rapids are sections of a river that have a relatively steep gradient. Due to the gradient of the river, turbulent water flows quickly over several sections of hard rock, creating the rapids. Rapids are, in some respects, like mini-waterfalls.

What are small holes in the river bed?

Potholes . Potholes are small circular holes in the river bed which are formed by abrasion. The river's bedload is swirled around by turbulence, the circular motion rubs and scrapes holes out of the river bed forming potholes. Rapids. Rapids are sections of a river that have a relatively steep gradient.

How does channel affect discharge?

Channel characteristics affect both velocity and discharge. As you move downstream from a river's source to it's mouth, velocity (kinetic energy) and discharge increase. Discharge increases due to tributaries (smaller rivers/streams) joining the main channel and further inputs from surface runoff as you go downstream.