Exam (elaborations) GIZMO Copy of KWAL 5 River Erosion

Student Exploration: River Erosion Vocabulary: cutbank, discharge, erosion, flood, floodplain, meander, meandering river, oxbow lake, point bar, river speed, sediments, slope, streambank, streambed, tributary, weathering Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.) 1. The image above shows a raging mountain river in full flood. What do you think is making the water brown in color? Dirt 2. What impact do you think the flooding river will have on the surrounding landscape? Erosion Gizmo Warm-up If you stand by the bank of a river, it may seem that very little is happening. But over thousands and even millions of years, rivers can have a profound effect on the landscape. In the River Erosion Gizmo, you will see how rivers move materials and how they affect landscapes. To begin, check that Mountain stream and Short-term erosion are selected. The Gizmo shows a typical stream that is moving through a hilly area. 1. The two movie cameras ( ) allow you to observe different parts of the stream up close. Click on the left movie camera. What do you see? I see fish swimming in the water & some rocks. 2. Sediments are small rock fragments such as sand or pebbles. What evidence do you see that sediments are being transported? How the water is flowing & the fish moving right. 3. Now select the right movie camera to see the bank of the mountain stream. What is happening to sediments on the bank? It eroded & then it fell into water.