Major Landforms Formed by Rivers

What is the term for the place where a river originates?

What do you call the area drained by a river and its tributaries?

What process involves the removal of broken rock materials from their original place and deposition elsewhere?

What are the main agents of erosion mentioned in the text?

How many ways do exogenic forces carry out their work according to the text?

What is the term for the place where a river joins another water body?

What is the term for the process by which running water carries out erosion?

What is the process that involves the disintegration and decomposition of rocks?

What is the term for the combination of small streams to form a river?

Landform Formation

Landforms on the Earth's surface are formed by endogenic and exogenic forces.
Exogenic forces, such as weathering and erosion, reduce the elevation of existing landforms.

Rivers

A river forms when many small streams join together.
The source of a river is the place where it originates.
A river flows downhill in a valley and eventually falls into a larger water body, such as a sea, ocean, or lake.
The place where a river joins another water body is called the mouth.

Weathering

Weathering is the disintegration and decomposition of rocks.
Factors that contribute to weathering include heat, cold, frost action, plants, animals, and chemical reactions.
Weathering does not involve the movement of broken rock materials.

Erosion

Erosion is the removal of broken rock materials from their place of origin and depositing them elsewhere.
Running water, sea waves, moving ice (glaciers), and wind are the main agents of erosion.
A river's running water carries out erosion in three ways:
- It erodes rocks over which it flows.
- It transports eroded materials.
- It deposits transported materials in different places.

Explore how various landforms on Earth's surface are formed by endogenic and exogenic forces, particularly the work of rivers in shaping the landscape. Learn about the source of rivers and the process they undergo from origin to joining together to form larger streams.