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Stages of The River - The Upper Course and Features

Waterfalls form in the upper course of a river where bands of resistant rock are underlain by softer rocks. The softer rocks erode away faster, causing the river to steepen and form waterfalls or rapids. When the river plunges over the waterfall, it erodes a deep hollow called a plunge pool at the base. Rapids form where the river slope changes suddenly, causing fast but not vertical flow, while gorges are narrow, steep valleys where vertical erosion dominates. Interlocking spurs and canyons are other landforms that can form in the upper course through erosion.

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189 views

Stages of The River - The Upper Course and Features

Waterfalls form in the upper course of a river where bands of resistant rock are underlain by softer rocks. The softer rocks erode away faster, causing the river to steepen and form waterfalls or rapids. When the river plunges over the waterfall, it erodes a deep hollow called a plunge pool at the base. Rapids form where the river slope changes suddenly, causing fast but not vertical flow, while gorges are narrow, steep valleys where vertical erosion dominates. Interlocking spurs and canyons are other landforms that can form in the upper course through erosion.

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Manning’s School

Geography | Fifth (5th) Form | 5 Orange/Yellow


Fluvial Processes
Rivers: Stages of the River
The Upper Course
Features Formed in the Upper Course of a River
Waterfalls
Waterfalls are formed as a result of
differences in the hardness of the rock
strata along the course of the river. A
waterfall is a steep fall of the river water
where its course is suddenly erupted by a
break in slope and gradient.
A band of resistant rock is underlain by
softer (or less resistant) rocks. The softer
rocks are eroded away faster, resulting in a
steepening of the slope and the formation
of rapids. Further erosion results in the Dunn's River Falls
undercutting of the bed of rocks and a
steepening of the vertical inclination of the river, eventually leading to the formation of a
waterfall.
Some waterfalls are formed when resistant rocks are in an inclined position overlying
weaker formations. The less resistant weaker formations are scoured out or
undermined, leading to a recession upstream, e.g. Niagara Falls in Canada.
Waterfalls are often found in the upper course of a river. Others are close to the river
mouth, such as Dunn’s River Falls in Jamaica.

Video Resource

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAPqH_JUQZg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilJzge07mcs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqCR-9nBgWQ
Plunge Pool
When a river plunges over a waterfall, potential
energy is released. The water at the bottom of
the fall is turbulent, and it causes rapid erosion
through hydraulic action when it hits the ground.
It cuts a deep plunge pool into the rock at the
base of the waterfall. A plunge pool is a hollow
formed at the base or foot of a waterfall. The
height of the land, steep drop of the water, the
swirling and eddying action of the water and
undercurrent all combine to produce the circular-
shaped hollow. The force of the water scours out
or erodes the rocks directly under the waterfall. Taughannock Falls (Plunge Pool)
Rapids
A rapid is formed where the river flows unusually fast, due to a sudden change in slope.
The slope is not prominent enough to form a
waterfall. At rapids, a flows very fast down a
steep slope and rocks are exposed at the
surface, but the river does not plunge vertically
downwards. There are many rapids on
Guyanese rivers, for e.g. at Kurupukari, close
to the Iwokrama Rainforest Centre. Rapids are
a barrier to river navigation.
Rapids may be formed in many ways. In some
places, a waterfall that has retreated a long
way upstream may be reduced in height until it
is replaced by a stretch of rapids.

Gorges
A gorge is a narrow, steep-sided river valley in which
vertical corrasion is dominant. The recession or length
of the gorge takes place upstream so that the height
increases as well as the depth. The Rio Cobre gorge
in Jamaica is an example. Gorges are also formed
when the roofs of limestone cavern collapse.
Interlocking Spurs
Interlocking spurs are the ridges which descend from the mountain to the lower part of
the valley side. They separate the mouths of tributary valleys. The river twists from side
to side resulting in the spurs becoming interlocked. Interlocking spurs tend to obstruct
the valley’s view.

Video Resource

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUWO80ljaO8
Canyon
A canyon is a deep, steep-sided gorge, cut by river action in which vertical corrasion or
downcutting is dominant. Its height is greater than its width. Canyons are characteristic
features of arid regions where there is little weathering to widen the valley walls. The
river normally obtains its water from distant mountains, e.g. Colorado Canyon, USA.

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