CHAPTER 16 Key Terms

CHAPTER 16 Key Terms

Match each of the terms on the left with its definition on the right. Click on the term first and then click on the matching definition. As you match them correctly, they will move to the bottom of the activity.

Question

abrasion
aggradation
alluvial fan
alluvium
base level
bed load
braided stream
continental divide
cut bank
delta
dendritic drainage
dissolved load
distributary
drainage basin
drainage divide
ephemeral stream
escarpment
exotic stream
flash flood
flood
floodplain
fluvial erosion
headward erosion
headwaters
intermittent stream
internal drainage
knickpoint
meander
oxbow lake
permanent stream
plunge pool
point bar
reservoir
saltation
seasonal flood
stream
stream discharge
stream order
stream piracy
stream rejuvenation
subsidence
suspended load
traction
tributary
trunk stream
A drainage pattern in which streams terminate in a low-lying basin on land.
Sediments deposited on a floodplain by a stream.
A stream that runs dry during part or most of the year.
A location where there is an abrupt increase in stream gradient over a short distance.
A channel in which water flows downhill by the force of gravity.
An accumulation of silt, sand, and gravel that forms at the inside edge of a stream meander, where deposition exceeds erosion.
Soluble minerals that are carried in solution by a stream.
A stream that flows briefly after heavy rainstorms.
The buildup of sediments in a streambed.
Lowering of land elevation through compaction of sediments.
A pattern of streams within a drainage basin that resembles the branching of a tree.
The volume of water flowing past a fixed point within a stream channel; expressed in cubic meters or cubic feet per second.
The process by which movement of one material wears away another material.
Erosion by running water.
A single large stream into which smaller tributaries merge.
An accumulation of sediment formed where a stream reaches base level.
A numerical system used to rank stream size based on the number of tributaries flowing into a stream.
A looping bend in a stream channel on a floodplain.
A water-filled abandoned channel that results when a meander is cut off from the stream channel.
The dragging and tumbling of large rocks in a stream channel.
Inundation by water in a region not normally covered by water, which results when stream discharge exceeds stream channel capacity.
A bowl at the base of a waterfall created by abrasion from circulating rocks.
The area of flat land near a stream that experiences flooding on a regular basis.
One of a branching network of streams in a delta.
A stream that forms intertwining channels around sediments in the streambed.
A bouncing or hopping motion of sediment in moving water (or air).
A stream that flows all year.
A ridge or highland that separates drainage basins and defines their boundaries.
The diversion of one stream into another as headward erosion merges the two streams.
An artificial lake.
The process by which a stream channel migrates upslope by forming new rills through fluvial erosion.
A gently sloping accumulation of sediment deposited at the base of a mountain by an ephemeral stream in arid regions.
A long cliff face or steep slope.
A flood that occurs with sudden, intense rainfall or dam collapse, often with little or no warning.
A predictable period of flooding that occurs with seasonally heavy rain or snowmelt.
The lowest level a stream can reach, usually sea level; a stream becomes standing water at base level.
A geographic region drained by a single trunk stream and the smaller tributaries that flow into it.
The outside edge of a meander, where erosion exceeds deposition.
A ridge or highland that separates drainage systems that empty into different ocean basins.
A process by which a stream gains downcutting energy as its base level is lowered relative to its drainage basin.
A permanent stream that originates in a humid region and flows through an arid region.
A stream that joins with other streams to form a larger stream.
The region where a stream originates.
Material in a stream channel such as sand, gravel, and rocks that is too heavy to become suspended in the current.
Small particles such as clay and silt that remain suspended in flowing water or wind.