Rivers & Fluvial Features
What is a valley?
A low area between hills or mountains, often with a river running through it.
A bowl-shaped depression carved by a glacier, is called what?
A cirque
A body of water partially enclosed by land with a wide opening to the sea.
A bay
Wind-blown accumulations of sand.
Dunes
An opening in the Earth’s crust that ejects lava.
A volcano
What is an oxbow lake
When a river meander becomes isolated from the main channel, it forms an __________.
A long narrow inlet carved by glaciers and flooded by the sea, is called what?
A fjord
A freestanding rock column near a coast, isolated from the mainland.
A stack
Flat-topped, steep-sided hills in deserts.
Mesas
A hot spring that periodically erupts water and steam.
A geyser
A river with multiple interweaving channels is called a __________.
Braided river
A sharp ridge formed between two glaciers is called an __________.
An arête
A sandbar connecting an island to the mainland is called a __________.
A tombolo
A fan-shaped deposit of sediment at the base of a mountain in a dry area is called an __________.
Alluvial fan
Mountains formed by folding of rock layers are called __________ mountains.
Small circular holes in a riverbed created by swirling water and sediment are called __________.
Potholes
A pyramid-shaped peak formed where several cirques meet is called a __________.
A horn
Waves that erode coasts are called __________ waves.
Destructive waves
A dry riverbed in arid regions that only carries water during storms is called a __________.
A wadi
The boundary where tectonic plates move apart is called a __________ boundary.
Divergent boundary
Natural raised embankments formed from river sediments.levees
Levees
Large boulders transported and deposited by glaciers are called __________.
Erratics
Coastal trees that survive in saltwater swamps are called __________.
Mangroves
A shallow lake that forms in a desert basin after rain is called a __________.
A playa lake
A steep-ended ridge formed when a glacier erodes a mountain ridge is called a __________.
A truncated spur