Features of lower course

Recap of Lower course

• The lower course of a river is found mainly on flat land and is characterized by
flat valley and a deep, wide channel.
• In fact, the river here is at its deepest and widest.
• Mainly deposition occurs with erosion limited to the outside of meanders
• Main features forming:
- Flood plains
- Levees
- Meanders
- Ox-bow lakes
- Braided channels
- Distributaries
- Deltas
 Formation of flood plain
• A flood plain is an area of almost flat land on both sides of a river which
is subjected to flooding when the river overflows its banks.
Formation of flood plain
Formation of flood plain
 Formation of Levees
• A levee is a ridge of sediment that is deposited naturally on the bank of
a river during the repeated flooding of the river.
• When the river floods, the biggest, most coarse material will be dumped
close to the river banks. This will continue to build up over time to form
a the levee
Formation of Levees
Formation of Levees
 Formation of oxbow lake

• An ox-bow lake is a crescent-shaped or horse-shoe shaped body of

water formed in a flood plain when a portion of the meander is cut off.
• When the cut off occurs, the only source of water for the oxbow lake will
be rainfall or flooding from the river.
Formation of oxbow lake
Formation of oxbow lake
Formation of oxbow lake
 Formation of braided channels

• Braided channels are formed when the river cannot transport its load
due to a decrease in stream velocity.
• Then sediment is deposited on the floor of the channel creating bars
that separate the channel into several smaller channels creating a
braided appearance.
Formation of braided channels
 The mouth of a river
At the end of its journey the river flows out into the sea. The place where
fresh and salt water meet is known as the river mouth and this can either
take the form of an estuary, or a delta.

An estuary is a simple outlet where the water from the river reaches the
sea directly. A delta outlet is the opposite of an estuary. It is a low-lying,
fan-shaped plain consisting of an accumulation of silt at the mouth of a
river.
Estuary vs a Delta
 Formation of deltas and distributaries
• Deltas are formed when sediment are deposited at the mouth of a river as it
enters a sea or lake.
• Most rivers do not have deltas. They only form under certain conditions:
- Large sediment load
- Weak coastal currents and waves
• As a river flows into the sea, its speed drops and its ability to transport its
sediment load is reduced. The sediment load is deposited on the sea floor in
a fan shaped pattern. Since the waves are weak, the sediments will not we
washed away or taken into the sea.
• Since the river channel becomes blocked with sediments, distributaries form
as the main carves a path through the build-up of sediments or splits to flow
around the buildup of sediments.
Formation of deltas and distributaries
Formation of deltas and distributaries
Formation of deltas and distributaries