Rivers IGCSE
IGCSE (Year 10–11) 🏔️ Physical Geography River processes, landforms, flooding, and flood management.
🏞️ River Processes and Landforms
Rivers erode, transport, and deposit material along their course, creating distinctive landforms.
Discharge
Q = CSA × velocity (m³/s or cumecs). Increases downstream as tributaries join. Key to understanding flood risk.
Hjulström Curve
Shows velocity needed to erode, transport, or deposit different particle sizes. Clay is hardest to erode (cohesion) but easiest to transport.
Meander Formation
Fastest flow on outside bend (erosion → river cliff). Slowest on inside (deposition → point bar). Meander migrates downstream.
Flooding
When discharge exceeds bankfull capacity. Causes: intense rainfall, snowmelt, saturated soils, deforestation, urbanisation.
Discharge (Q) = Cross-sectional area × velocity | CSA = width × average depth
Interactive exploration for this topic — try the Analyse tab for data tools!
River discharge and flood risk calculations.