What is the course of a river?

The “course of the river” simply refers to the specific path that a river follows as it crosses the land. This is usually a sinuous (curvy) channel that tends to get wider as the river makes its way to its final destination.

Considering this, what is upper course of a river?

Upper course features. 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.

Beside above, what are the three courses of river?

A river transports material through:
Deposition occurs when the river starts losing energy.
The three sections of a river.
There are three sections in a river they are called:
The upper Course, The Middle Course and The Lower Course.
The upper Course, is the steepest part.
of land in the river.
but flows very fast.

Beside above, what is lower course of a river?

Lower course of a river The volume of water in a river is at its greatest in the lower course. This is due to the contribution of water from tributaries. The river channel is deep and wide and the land around the river is flat. Energy in the river is at its lowest and deposition occurs. .

What are the 4 stages of a river?

3 Stages of a River

YOUTHFUL STAGE (UPPER COURSE) – V- Shaped Valley > Erosion.
MATURE STAGE (MIDDLE COURSE) – Meanders > Erosion and Deposition.
OLD AGE STAGE (LOWER COURSE) – Floodplains > Deposition.
Advantages. Scenic Attraction.
Dangers. Flooding – Damage to property, land, animals and homes.
Advantages.
Disadvantages.

32 Related Question Answers Found

What are the characteristics of upper course of a river?

In the upper course of a river gradients are steep and river channels are narrow. Vertical erosion is greatest in the upper course of a river. As the result of this typical features include steep valley sides, interlocking spurs, rapids, gorges and waterfalls.

What are the features of a river?

Features overview

Meanders, Slip-off slopes, ox-bow lakes. Deltas, flood plains, levees, meanders, ox-bow lakes. Relatively slow moving. Despite areas of fast flowing water, the large amount of material on the river channel bed means that friction will slow the water down.

What are the parts of a river?

Rivers are split up into three parts: the upper course, the middle course, and the lower course. The upper course is closest to the source of a river. The land is usually high and mountainous, and the river has a steep gradient with fast-flowing water. There is a lot of vertical erosion and weathering.

What is found in the middle course of a river?

The middle course of a river is found on gently sloping land, and is typically identified by its meandering path - the sweeping side to side curves. The middle course has two main features - meanders and ox-bow lakes.

What is the upper part of a river?

The brooks, streams, and creeks that form a river are called its tributaries. Flowing down from high hills and mountains, the upper part (or course) of a river is usually narrow, steep, and marked by sharp valleys and abrupt, zig-zag changes of direction.

What is a meander of a river?

A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves, bends, loops, turns, or windings in the channel of a river, stream, or other watercourse.

What is the main function of a river in its upper course?

In the upper course , the river carries sediments which are deposited layer by layer over period of time. Thus apart from having a fertile alluvial soil, they also help in land formation. As the river moves through the upper course, it cuts downwards. The gradient here is steep and the river channel is narrow.

How is a river formed?

Most rivers begin life as a tiny stream running down a mountain slope. They are fed by melting snow and ice, or by rainwater running off the land. The water follows cracks and folds in the land as it flows downhill. Small streams meet and join together, growing larger and larger until the flow can be called a river.

What is the mouth of a river?

The place where a river enters a lake, larger river, or the ocean is called its mouth. River mouths are places of much activity. As a river flows, it picks up sediment from the river bed, eroding banks, and debris on the water.

What happens in the middle course of a river?

In the middle course the river has more energy and a high volume of water. As the river erodes laterally, to the right side then the left side, it forms large bends, and then horseshoe-like loops called meanders. The formation of meanders is due to both deposition and erosion and meanders gradually migrate downstream.

What are levees?

A levee, floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial embankment or dike, usually earthen, which parallels the course of a river. The main purpose of an artificial levee is to prevent flooding of the adjoining countryside; however, they also confine the flow of the river resulting in higher and faster water flow.

What landforms are created by rivers?

A couple of other ways rivers are created are from mountain and glacier run off. Rivers are not only created by other landforms but they also create landforms. Rivers can create canyons such as the Grand Canyon, valleys and bluffs. They do this through erosion and deposition.

What is a delta in a river?

A river delta is a landform created by deposition of sediment that is carried by a river as the flow leaves its mouth and enters slower-moving or stagnant water. This occurs where a river enters an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, or (more rarely) another river that cannot carry away the supplied sediment.

What do you mean by meander?

meander. To meander means to wander aimlessly on a winding roundabout course. If you want some time to yourself after school, you might meander home, taking the time to window shop and look around. Meander comes from a river in modern-day Turkey, the Maiandros, which winds and wanders on its course.

Why is the river wider in the lower course?

In the lower course there is an absence of large rocks and the river channel, being wider and deeper applies less friction to the flow. It is this absence of friction, which creates the smooth channel that allows the velocity of rivers to increase despite the more shallow gradient of the channel.

Is a river faster in the upper or lower course?

How do river characteristics change from upper to lower course? The rivers characteristics change from the source to the mouth of the river (from the upper to lower course). Upper course - The gradient is really steep but the velocity is slow moving because of the vast amount of friction.

How does a river change from source to mouth?

A long profile is a line representing the river from its source (where it starts) to its mouth (where it meets the sea). A river changes with increasing distance downstream from its source towards its mouth. It moves through its upper course , to its mid-course and finally into its lower course .