River Landscapes

Features formed by a river in the upper course River Capture This is also known as river beheading or river piracy. Its development is dependant on the different rate of headward erosion (back-cutting) into a divide. For example – if one side of the divide has more gradient or receives more precipitation than the other, … Read more

Development of the river systems The water that comes in the form of rain is partly absorbed by the ground, partly evaporated and some of its parts flows in the form of streams, brooks and tributaries of the river. The water flowing through the surface has the capacity to transform the earth surface through denudation. … Read more

The mechanism of humid erosion Humid erosion involves the entire aspects of shaping the effects of running water from the activities of rainwater to that of the rivers. The movement of water and the material depends on: Lubricating action of water due to gravity – It is highly pronounced in the areas where the slope … Read more

What is River Discharge? River discharge might sound complex, but it is actually just a measurement of the volume of water that flows in a river every second. We can chart these measurements out as cumecs (cubic metres per second) on hydrographs. It is worth noting that they usually only tell us how the discharge … Read more

During your geography examination, you might be asked to identify some important river features on a map. We would strongly advise that you start looking at maps as quickly as possible to prepare yourself for your exam. Spotting River Landforms on Maps If you are asked to identify river landforms on a map, then you … Read more

When we refer to rivers that flow downhill, we call the path that they follow their course. Most rivers have upper, middle and lower courses. The former is closest to the source of the river and the latter is closest to the mouth of the river. Naturally, the course that a river follows affects the … Read more