Major Landforms Formed by Rivers

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.