River Erosion

River ErosionBy: Jonathan Gogins

Creations from RiversRivers create 5 things. They create many things. But, rivers mostly create valleys, waterfalls, flood plains, meanders, and oxbow lakes.

Valley FormationA valley is a depression that has a river a its floor. The river starts over flat land. Over time, the river erodes the land and forms valleys. There are two types of valleys, v-shaped valleys and u-shaped valleys.V- shaped valleys have steep slopes. They’re formed by a process called down cutting. V-shaped valleys form in mountainous areas. A famous v-shaped valley is the Grand Canyon.U-shaped valleys have broad, flat valley floors. They’re formed by mountain glaciers. U-shaped valleys are also known as glacial troughs. A famous u-shaped valley is Yosemite Valley in California.

WaterfallsWaterfalls may occur where a river meets an area of rock that is hard and erodes slowly. It starts to war away the softer rock faster. It forms where the soft rock erodes away first. The drop forms at the eroded softer rock. That’s how a water fall forms.

Flood PlainsA flood plain is a flat wide area of land along a river. It forms when a river spreads out and erodes the land and forming a wide plain. This is a flood plain. When a river floods it covers the flood plain. That is how it got its name.

MeandersA meander is a loop-like bend in the course of river. As a river winds from side to side, it tends to erode the outer bank ,while it deposits sediment on the inner bank. It becomes more and more curved over time.

Oxbow LakesAn oxbow lake is a meander that has been cut off from the river. It can form when a river floods. It forms when a small obstacle makes a slight bend. The bend becomes bigger as water erodes the outer edge. It becomes more curved and the river breaks a new course. An oxbow lake remains.

Landforms from DepositsAlluvial fans, deltas, and soil on flood plains are types of landforms that are created from deposits.

Protection from FloodsYou can protect yourself from floods in a lot of ways. You can build high houses, relocate your home, levees, and floodwalls.