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Stream Tables
Vocabulary
A drainage basin is a system of
rivers and streams that drains an
area like the Colorado Plateau
Erosion wears away earth
materials by water, wind, or ice.
A landform is a shape or feature of
the earth’s surface, like a delta or
canyon.
A canyon is a V-shaped valley
eroded by a river or stream.
A delta is a fan-shaped (triangular)
deposit of earth materials at a
mouth of a stream.
A plateau is a large, nearly level
area that has been lifted above the
surrounding area.
Deposition is the process by which
eroded earth materials settle out in
another place.
Sediments are eroded earth
materials that have been
deposited.
A basin is a low area in which
sediments are often deposited.
A channel is the course or path the
water takes in a stream or river.
A meander is a curve or loop in a
channel.
A slope is the angle or slant of a
stream channel or land surface.
An alluvial fan is a fan-shaped landform
deposited at the end of a steep canyon
where the slope becomes flatter. Fans are
usually found in arid regions, like Death
Valley
A flood is a very heavy flow of
water, which is greater than the
normal flow of water and goes over
the stream’s normal channel.
A flashflood rises and falls rapidly
with little or no advance warning.
A levee is an embankment along a
stream that protects land from
flooding. Levees can be natural or
constructed.
A dam is a construction or wall
across a river that holds back the
water flowing through the river,
creating a reservoir or lake.
A floodplain is the area around a
river that is covered by water
flowing over the riverbank during a
flood.