River Erosion
The process of erosion wears away the riverbed and the river bank. It also involves the wearing away of rocks and particles being carried by the river from its source to its mouth.
When the velocity of the river increases, so does the load it can carry and the rate at which erosion occurs due to there being more collisions at higher force.
When the volocity of the river increases, so does the load it can carry and the rate at which erosion occurs.
Erosion Processes
There are four main processes of erosion:
Quiz
Vertical & Lateral Erosion
Vertical erosion is often referred to as downward erosion and occurs in the upper course of the river, due to the force of gravity pulling the water downwards along with its heavy erosive material. This material deepens the river channel to create V-shapped valleys.
The diagram below shows the river profile:
The other form of erosion is lateral erosion, also known as sideways erosion. This takes place in the lower and middle course of a river channel.