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| Mechanical scraping of a rock surface by friction between rocks and moving particles during their transport in wind, glacier ect. |
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| Alluvial fans are fan-shaped deposits of water-transported material |
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| The base level of a river or stream is the lowest point to which it can flow, |
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| The larger, heavier particles that are being transported by a stream. Instead of being dissolved or suspended, these are being rolled or bounced along, spending at least part of their time in contact with the stream bottom. See also: load, suspended load, dissolved load. |
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THe force of which rocks and sediments are carried down running water. |
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| A deposit of sediment that forms where a stream enters a standing body of water such as a lake or ocean. The name is derived from the Greek letter "delta" because these deposits typically have a triangular shape in map view. |
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| The volume of water in a flowing stream that passes a given location in a unit of time. Frequently expressed in cubic feet per second or cubic meters per second. Calculated by the formula Q = A x V where Q is the discharge, A is the cross sectional area of the channel and V is the average velocity of the stream. |
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| A ridge that separates two adjacent drainage basins. |
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drainage basin or watershed [image] |
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| The geographic area that contributes runoff to a stream. It can be outlined on a topographic map by tracing the points of highest elevation (usually ridge crests) between two adjacent stream valleys. The watershed of a large river usually contains the watersheds of many smaller streams. Also referred to as a "drainage basin". |
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| A flash flood is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas - washes, rivers and streams. |
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| An area of alluvium-covered, relatively level land along the banks of a stream that is covered with water when the stream leaves its channel during a time of high flow. |
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| A gully is a landform created by running water eroding sharply into soil, typically on a hillside. |
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| Headward erosion is a fluvial process of erosion that lengthens a stream, a valley or a gully at its head and also enlarges its drainage. |
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| : A long continuous ridge built by people along the banks of a stream to contain the water during times of high flow. Natural levees can also be built along the banks of a stream. When the flood water decelerates upon leaving the channel, sediments quickly drop out of suspension and build a ridge over time. |
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| A stream that has many bends (meanders). This type of drainage pattern usually develops on a nearly level landscape and where the banks of the stream are easily eroded. |
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| A crescent-shaped lake that forms when a meandering stream changes course. Such changes in course frequently occur during flood events when overbank waters erode a new channel. |
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| A cylindrical or hemispherical hold in the bedrock of a stream that is formed from the continual swirling motion of sand and gravel by swirling currents. |
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| A chemical weathering process in which a material is dissolved. Also, the transport of dissolved ions by the water of a stream. |
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| or stream piracy is a geomorphological phenomenon occurring when a stream or river drainage system |
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| Transport of sediment by wind or water currents that are strong enough to keep the sediment particles continuously above the stream bottom or ground. (See traction and saltation for comparison.) |
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| A water gap is an opening or notch which flowing water has carved through a mountain range. |
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