Geography

6.4

How does rivers change

from source to mouth?
River process: long profile

• A long profile is a line representing the river from its

source (where it starts) to its mouth (where it meets the
sea). It shows how the river changes over its course.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JM71mcw_LI

River process:
cross profile
A cross profile shows a cross
section of a river’s
channel and valley at a certain
point along the river’s course.
V-shaped valley
• A V-shaped valley is a narrow valley with steeply sloped sides
that appear similar to the letter "V" from a cross section. They
 are formed by strong streams, which over time have cut down into
the rock through a process called downcutting.

• Interlocking spurs are projections of high land that alternate from

either side of a V-shaped valley. They are formed by fluvial erosion
and are found in the upper course of a river where rocks are hard.
Formed when the river is small and has less erosive power.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XJINKay6ZU

River Tees
• The River Tees is located in the north of
England. The source of the River Tees is
located in the Pennines and it flows east to its
mouth where the river joins the North Sea.
 • Go to ArcGis find River Tees

• https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/vi
ewer.html?webmap=3cd4a7e4956e42e1b0
4acdf5e998e8b5

River Tees :long profile

Upper course
•The upper course has hard impermeable rocks. Here, vertical
erosion has formed a V-shaped valley.

•High Force, the UK's largest waterfall at 21 meters high, is

located in the upper course. An area of hard rock, called
Whin Sill (or Whinstone), is located above a layer of soft
rocks (sandstone and shale) and together they create this
impressive waterfall.

•Steep valley sides are typical of a river's upper

course in upland areas. The valley at upper
course is steep sides and the valley bottom is
narrow. So its called V-shaped valleys. Shallow,
narrow channel

•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaUCTQvSn_A

Middle course
 • As the River Tees starts to erode
sideways (lateral erosion), it
forms meanders. These can be
identified in the middle course near
Barnard Castle.

• Wider and deeper channel

• Look for Meander

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w
i0fT3TCIGs

Meander
 • A meander is one of a series of regular
sinuous curves in the channel of a river or
other watercourse. It is produced as a
watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer,
concave bank (cut bank) and deposits
sediments on an inner, convex bank which is
typically a point bar.

Lower course
•Near Yarm, the meanders in the lower
course are much larger, and oxbow lakes
have formed. In this area there are also
levees which have formed when the river
has flooded.
•Widest, deepest channel

•https://www.coolgeography.co.uk/gcsen/PL_River_T
e es_Example.php

Oxbow lakes

• An oxbow lake starts out as a curve, or

meander, in a river. A lake forms as the
river finds a different, shorter, course. The
meander becomes an oxbow lake along the
side of the river. Oxbow lakes usually form
in flat, low-lying plains close to where the
 river empties into another body of water.

Levees
• A levee is a natural or artificial wall that
blocks water from going where we don't
want it to go. Levees may be used to increase
available land for habitation or divert a body of
water so the fertile soil of a river or sea bed
may be used for
agriculture. They prevent rivers from
flooding cities in a storm surge.

Activity
• Go to ArcGis find River Tees

• 1 Draw own copy of the long profile for the River Tees

• 2 Write a paragraph describing how the River Tees changes from source to
mouth

• https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=3cd4a7
e4956e42e1b04acdf5e998e8b5