Vocabulary Template

Runoff Water that flows over the ground surface rather than soaking into the ground.

Tributary A smaller stream or river that feeds into a main river. Con”tributes” to the water supply of the river or water system.

Watershed The land area that supplies water to a river system.

Divide A ridge of land that separates one watershed from another.

Erosion The process by which fragments of soil and rock are broken off from the ground surface and carried away.

Deposition The process by which soil and fragments of rock are deposited in a new location. Notice that the sediments deposit on the inside of the river curve. This is so because speed of the water flow changes and allows for sediments to drop to the bottom.

Sediment The particles of rock and soil that are moved by water or wind, resulting in erosion and deposition.

Head Waters The many small streams that come together at the source of the river.

Flood Plain A broad, flat valley through which a river flows.

Meander A looping curve formed in a river as it winds through its flood plain.

Oxbow Lake The crescent-shaped, cutoff body of water that remains after a river carves a new channel.

Mouth (river) The point where a river flows into another body of water.

Delta A large stream of moving water that flows through the ocean.

Levee A long ridge formed by deposits of sediments alongside a river channel.