Exploring Weathering, Erosion, Transportation, and River Profiles in Edexcel IGCSE Geography

Edexcel IGCSE Geography: Processes

Topic 1- River environments: Processes

Key idea: Running water has a significant influence on the development of landforms
KEY TERMINOLOGY:

• Weathering- involves elements of the weather, particularly rainfall and temperatures
• Mass movement- movement of a large part of the landscape.
• Soil Creep- weathered material moving down the slope under the influence of gravity

Factors affecting these processes: stream velocity, slopes, geology

• Deposition- the laying down of material transported by the river because of a decrease in energy, speed and discharge
• Discharge- Volume of water in a river, flowing through a certain point over a given period of time

Discharge= VOLUME x VELOCITY

• Vertical erosion- Deepens the valley as water force grows; commonly in the upper stage where gradient is steep
• Lateral erosion- Widens the valley when weathering off sides; common in middle and lower stage