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Abrasion is mechanical scraping of a rock surface by friction between rocks and moving particles during their transport in wind, glacier, waves, ... |
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Alluvial fans are fan-shaped deposits of water-transported material (alluvium). They typically form at the base of topographic features |
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The base level of a river or stream is the lowest point to which it can flow, often referred to as the 'mouth' of the river |
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The term Bed load describes particles in a flowing fluid (usually a river) that are transported along the bed. |
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the amount of sediment a body of water can move |
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A delta is a landform that is created at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, or reservoir or another river |
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In hydrology, the discharge or outflow of a river is the volume of water transported by it in a certain amount of time |
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a ridge of land between two drainage basins |
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A drainage basin is an extent of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary |
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A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas - washes, rivers and streams. It is caused by heavy rain associated with a thunderstorm etc |
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A floodplain, or flood plain, is flat or nearly flat land adjacent to a stream or river that experiences occasional or periodic flooding. It includes the floodway, which consists of the stream channel and adjacent areas that carry flood flows, and the flood fringe, which are areas covered by the flood, but which do not experience a strong current. |
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A gully is a landform created by running water eroding sharply into soil, typically on a hillside. Gullies resemble large ditches or small valleys |
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Headward erosion is a fluvial process of erosion that lengthens a stream, a valley or a gully at its head and also enlarges its drainage |
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A levee, levée, dike (or dyke), embankment, floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial slope or wall to prevent flooding of the land behind it. |
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A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse, also known as an oxbow loop, or simply an oxbow. A meander is formed when the moving water in a river erodes the outer banks and widens its valley creating a meander. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course |
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An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake water body formed when a wide meander from the mainstem of a river is cut off to create a lake |
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Pothole (or kettle-hole) is also a term for a formation in rivers caused by a whirlpool eroding a hole into rock. The abrasion is mainly caused by the circular motion of small sediments such as small stones in the river. The interiors of potholes tend to be smooth and regular, unlike a plunge pool. An example is the large pothole found in Archbald, Pennsylvania in Archbald Pothole State Park |
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sediment suspended in the water of a downflowing stream, gully or river |
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is a geomorphological phenomenon occurring when a stream or river drainage system or watershed is diverted from its own bed, and flows instead down the bed of a neighbouring stream. This can happen for several reasons, including: - Tectonic earth movements, where the slope of the land changes, and the stream is tipped out of its former course.
- Natural damming, such as by a landslide or ice sheet.
- Erosion, either
- Headward erosion of one stream valley upwards into another, or
- Lateral erosion of a meander through the higher ground dividing the adjacent streams.
- Within an area of karst topography, where streams may sink, or flow underground (a sinking or losing stream) and then reappear in a nearby stream valley.
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Mud or muddy water, is where soil, clay, or silt particles are suspended in water |
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A water gap is an opening or notch which flowing water has carved through a mountain range |
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