Hiranandani Foundation School, Thane Subject: Geography Denudation Std. IX The Course of A River

HIRANANDANI FOUNDATION SCHOOL, THANE
Subject: Geography
Denudation
Std. IX
The course of a river:

Upper Course - Major activity – erosion, mainly vertical erosion.
Characteristics – steep, narrow channel
High bedload
Major Landforms – V-shaped valley, Waterfalls.
Middle Course – Major activity – transportation and lateral erosion

Characteristics – gentle sloping valley, wider channel,
more suspended sediment
Most Prominent Landform – Meanders
Lower Course - Major activity – deposition

Characteristics – gentle sloping valley, very wide river
valley, flat and wide flood plain
Most prominent Landform – Delta
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Rivers may not form deltas for several reasons:
• If the mountain course of river is very short, the river may not have enough
load to form a delta.
• If the lower course of a river is very swift, the sediment is washed into the
sea and there is no deposition at the mouth.
• If the coast at the mouth of a river is washed by a strong ocean current or
tides, the sediment is washed away.
• If the sea at the mouth of the river is very deep, a delta may not develop.
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Importance of deltas:
• Alluvium deposited by rivers makes the delta very fertile for growing crops.
• The network of distributaries provide routes for transportation and trade.
• Abundant plants provide a sanctuary for a variety of birds and wildlife.
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QUESTION AND ANSWER
Q.1. What do you mean by ‘river’?

Ans. - A river is a body of water that flows downhill in a channel, usually towards
the ocean.
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Q. 2. Explain:
(a) Delta is a triangular piece of land that develops at the mouth of
rivers by the deposition of sediment due to the formation
of distributaries.
(b) Floodplain is a broad flat river valley in the lower reaches of a
river.
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Q. 3. Why does the river flow sluggishly in the lower course?
Ans. - The river flows sluggishly because the gradient is almost flat and
the river carries heavy load.
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Q. 4. What are the reasons for wind deposition?
Ans. - Wind deposits its material due to reduction of its speed. Wind
deposits its material whenever some obstacle comes in its way.
The obstacle may be a bush, a rise in ground, a boulder, a fence, a
house or even the skeleton of a dead camel.
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Q. 5. How does wind erosion differ from water erosion?
Ans. – Wind erosion differs from water erosion in the following way:
• Wind is not capable of picking up and transporting heavy material.
• Wind may blow in all direction since it is not confined to channels. It
can spread over large areas and rise high into the air.
• Unlike water, wind can move sediment uphill as well as downhill.
This ability makes it possible for the winds to build dunes.
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DISTINGUISH
1. Waterfall and Rapid
Ans. - A waterfall is a steep descent of a river over a rocky edge whereas rapid
is area of broken, fast-flowing water in a stream or a river that has a
slight gradient, forming series of step-like small waterfalls .
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Tributary Distributary
When a smaller stream joins a It is formed when a river is forced
larger one, the smaller stream is to break up into branches due to the
known as the tributary of the larger deposition of sediment in the
one. channel.
Tributaries add water and load to Distributaries distribute water and
the main river. load into minor channels.
It can be found in any course of a It is found in the lower course of a
river. river.
Barchans Seifs
The typical sand dune with Long, narrow ridges of sand.
crescent-shapes front, having two
horns or wings towards the leeward
slope.
They occur transversely to the They grow parallel to the direction
direction of wind. of the prevailing wind.
Migratory sand dune. These are stationary sand dunes.
The most common type of sand These are less commonly found.
dunes.
Geographical Reasons:
1. Erosion is the dominant activity of a river in its upper course because of it
high velocity and huge bed load (carries huge amount of large rock
particles).
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2. Landforms of deposition are more prominent in the middle course of a river
because in the middle course the river flows through the flat plains so the
velocity reduces, moreover a large number of tributaries contribute huge
amount of sediments to the main river. The river flows slowly with huge
amount of load so deposition of sediments occurs.
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3. The effects of wind erosion are more pronounced in desert areas because in
deserts there is lack of vegetation so the velocity of wind is maximum and
due to lack of water the soil is dry and loose which can easily be carried by
wind.
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4. Migratory sand dunes are uncertain and dangerous because when these sand
dunes migrate they migrate in any direction, depending on the direction of
the wind and damage towns and villages, sometimes they encroach on an
oasis, burying palm trees or houses.
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5. Long rooted trees and sand holding grasses are grown bordering fields near
deserts because long rooted trees can withstand high velocity wind and due
to obstruction the progress of sand dunes gets checked. Sand holding grasses
do not allow the sand particles to move further so fertile fields can be saved
from sand cover.
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HIRANANDANI FOUNDATION SCHOOL, THANE
Subject: Geography
HYDROSPHERE
IX
Geographical Reasons:
1. There are two high and two low tides in a day because when a particular
meridian faces the Moon, due to its gravitational pull tide occurs. At the
same time, another tide occurs exactly on the opposite meridian due to the
centrifugal force which is caused by the rotation of the Earth. After
approximately 12 hours, the meridian which was facing the Moon goes to
the opposite side and the opposite meridian faces the Moon.
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2. Each day tides delayed by about 26 minutes because the Moon rises late
each day by about 52 minutes due to the fact that the Moon revolves and the
Earth rotates in the same direction, i.e. from west to east.
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3. Warm currents produce a milder climate along the coast in high latitudes
because of the presence of the warm ocean current the temperature along the
coast rises above normal.
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4. The eastern coasts of USA are comparatively warm because of the presence
of warm Gulf Stream, which increases temperature above normal.
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5. The waters of the Oyashio Current form the richest fishing grounds in the
world because off the coast of Japan, cold Oyashio Current meets warm
Kuroshio Currents which provides right temperature conditions for the
growth of plankton and fish feed on plankton.
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6. There is heavy rainfall in Queensland but the Atacama desert is arid because
Queensland is located on the east coast of Australia, along which the warm
East Australian Current flows. On-shore winds while blowing over this
warm current, becomes warmer and carry more moisture to bring heavy
rainfall. On the other hand, the Atacama desert is located along the west
coast of South America. Cold Peruvian Current flows along the coast. On-
shore winds while blowing over this cold current become cooler, cannot
carry moisture, so the cooler dry winds cannot bring rainfall.
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30/09 /2019
7. The coasts of Norway are not frozen in winter whereas its adjoining coasts
are frozen for most parts of the year because of the warm North Atlantic
Drift which rises the temperature along the coast of Norway above normal,
so remain ice-free even in cold winters but the adjoining coast across the
North Atlantic Ocean has the cold Labrador Current which reduces the
temperature below normal and so coasts become frozen for most parts of the
year.
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8. Rich fishing grounds are located on the Pacific coast of North America
because the warm Kuroshio Current gradually merges with extreme cold
water around Alaska’s southern coast and along the west coast of the USA
cold California Current gradually merges with warm equatorial water,
providing the ideal temperature for the growth of plankton and fish feed on
plankton.
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9. The coast of Newfoundland is found dangerous for navigation because
here the warm Gulf Stream and the cold Labrador Current meet, so dense
fog occur and sometimes even violent storms occur.
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10. The tidal range differs from one water body to the other because of varying
size, shape and depth of the water bodies and also the varying positions of
the Sun and the Moon with the position of the Earth.
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Distinguish:
Spring Tides Neap Tides

Spring tides take place during the Neap tides take place at the first and
full moon and new moon. the last quarter of the lunar month.
The Moon and the Sun are almost in The Moon and the Sun make a right
a line with the Earth. angle at the Earth’s centre.
The Moon and the Sun exert their The attraction of the Sun and the
combined pull on the Earth. Moon tends to balance each other.
High tide is very high and low tide is High tide is lower and low tide is
very low, high tidal range. higher than at normal times, low tidal
range.
30/09/2019

Hiranandani Foundation School, Thane Subject: Geography Denudation Std. IX The Course of A River

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HIRANANDANI FOUNDATION SCHOOL, THANE

The course of a river:

Middle Course – Major activity – transportation and lateral erosion

Lower Course - Major activity – deposition

Q.1. What do you mean by ‘river’?

Spring Tides Neap Tides

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