a river study
This piece of work is aimed at 14-18 year old pupils or those interested in developing a knowledge and understanding of the physical geography of rivers. This study is best followed after an introduction to the subject. Access to Ordnance Survey Landranger series sheet 19 would be helpful to further this study and is needed for some of the tasks. Tasks are set at two levels with those in B being more demanding.
The text is available on one page
Contents |
3. Loch an Nid |
4. Meander |
6. Ox-bow lake |
16. Loch na Sealga |
|
This view was taken from next to the ruins named 'Feinasheen' on the map. There is little sign of running water in this scene of heather covered peat and rushes. The watershed between east and west flowing rivers is unclear in this deep U-shaped valley.
Task A
1.1 What is the name for where a river starts?
1.2 What is a watershed?
1.3 What evidence is there from the photograph that this landscape has been glaciated? There is a clue in the text .
Task B
1.4 This photograph was taken near to its source. Describe three types of source that a river could have.
1.5 How could a watershed be easily demonstrated?
(085730, southwest)
This photograph, looking up Bealach na Croise, was taken less than a kilometre from the previous one but shows clear signs of running water. It could easily be argued that the principal source of the river lies in Bealach na Croise.
Task A
2.1 Name any river features can be seen in this photograph?
2.2 What evidence is there of erosion?
2.3 What evidence is there of deposition?
Task B
2.4 By what means has the flow of the river become greater between the source and here?
2.5 Use map evidence to support the statement in the last sentence in the text.
The valley and loch in the photograph lie along the line of a major fault. The glacier which moved down this valley would have found this line of weakness easier to erode than the surrounding undisturbed rock.
Task A
3.1 What is the loch an example of (albeit an short one)?
3.2 Using the map to help, what term could be used to describe the feature crossing the view in the foreground.
3.3 Is there any evidence on the photograph that the there has been a change to the foreground since the map was drawn? (look at the left foreground)
Task A
4.1 Describe in detail what this photograph shows.