Copy_of_RIVER_EROSION GEOGRAPHY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2022

No need to submit anything. The questions that follow are to help you in making your observations.Do not spend a lot of time on this - the goal is to gather evidence in order to understand how rivers shape our land. Log in to Gizmo - Launch the River Erosion Gizmo Erosion occurs when sediments and other materials are moved from one place to another. Along with weathering, which is the breakdown of large rocks into smaller sediments, erosion can have a profound impact on the landscape. To begin, check that Mountain stream, Short-term erosion, Normal Flow, and Low selected. The Gizmo shows a typical stream that is moving through a hilly area. We will get to know our tools (cameras, show labels, show data, show path) and gather evidence. 1. The two movie cameras ( ) allow you to observe different parts of the stream up close. Click on the left movie camera. Observation: What do you see? I see rocks and sand. Some are falling into the river, and others are moving with the river underwater. 2. Sediments are small rock fragments such as sand or pebbles. What evidence do you see that sediments are being transported (moved to a new location)? One piece of evidence could be the river. The river had little particles of sand/rocks that are flowing with the current, to a new location. 3. Now select the right movie camera to see the bank of the mountain stream. Observation: What is happening to sediments on the bank (the river edge)? Rocks and sand are falling into the moving stream. This study source was downloaded by from CourseH on :23:04 GMT -06:00 These cameras are both opened and closed by clicking on them. 4. Now, get to know some of the different parts of a mountain stream. Turn on Show labels. 5. Turn off labels. Turn on Show data. A. Observation: The slope of the channel is how steep it is, or how many meters the streambed drops for every horizontal kilometer. What is the slope of the stream? 22.0km B. Observation: River speed is a measure of how fast water flows. What is the river speed? 1.1m/s C. Discharge is the water volume that flows past a given point every second, measured in cubic meters per second (m3 /s). What is the stream’s discharge? 2.3 m/s D. Evidence: What types of sediments are transported by this stream? Sand, slit, clay Sediments are classified by size. The smallest sediments are clay particles, followed by silt, sand, and pebbles. Larger sediments include cobbles and boulders. 6. Turn on Show path. Click Play to release the barrel. Observe the path of the barrel as it floats down the river (The flags are 100 meters apart.) Observation: Describe the path of the barrel (stays in the center of the river, flows to the outside of each curve, moves to the inside of each curve, or …) The barrel moves from side to side. However, it mostly stays on the right side of the river. 7. Next to River flow, select Flood. a) Look at the landscape, and then click on the movie cameras to see zoomed-in views. Observation: Describe what you notice. The sediments are moving much faster. Also, rocks are falling into the river much faster. b) Observations: Turn on Show data. During a flood, how do the river speed, discharge, and transported sediments compare to normal flow conditions? The data is much higher than normal flow. 8. Repeat 1 through 7 for Meandering river, Short-term erosion, Low vegetation. Meandering rivers are found in flatter areas. Unlike the V-shaped mountain valleys, the valleys of meandering rivers have wide, flat bottoms called floodplains. 9. On your My Evidence doc, SUMMARIZE your observations for: Mountain River Short-term erosion Normal Flow Low Vegetation Mountain River Short-term erosion Flood Low Vegetation Meandering River Short-term erosion Normal Flow Low Vegetation Meandering River Short-term erosion Flood Low Vegetation This study source was downloaded by from CourseH on :23:04 GMT -06:00 10. Extension: How does an increase in surrounding vegetation (plant-life) impact river erosion? Explore and make observations on either Mountain River OR Meandering River but comparing the amount of vegetation. (NOTE: camera views are very interesting here!) Mountain River Long-term erosion Normal Flow Low Vegetation Mountain River Long-term erosion Normal Flow High Vegetation OR Meandering River Long-term erosion Normal Flow Low Vegetation Meandering River Long-term erosion Normal Flow High Vegetation