Loading…
Loading…
GCSE Geography · key term
A sudden, steep drop in a river’s bed over which water falls.
Used by AQA, Edexcel and OCR
Specification 3.1.3.3 · Paper 1
Revise: River Landforms in the UKSome features, such as waterfalls, result mainly from erosion. Others, such as meanders, develop through both erosion and deposition. Flood plains and levées accumulate sediment deposited by floodwater.
Specification 1.8 · Paper 1
A steep drop in a river's bed over which water falls.
For waterfalls, explain why softer rock erodes faster, how an overhang develops and why repeated collapse causes upstream retreat.
For waterfalls, link undercutting and collapse to upstream retreat; the gorge is left behind by that retreat.
Create a free account to read GCSE Geography revision notes for your exam board and track your progress.
Differences in rock resistance help explain both the routes rivers follow and features such as waterfalls.
Specification 3.2a · Paper 1, Paper 3
A sudden drop in a river's bed over which water falls.
Revise: River Landforms: Erosional and Depositional FeaturesA waterfall is a sudden drop in the riverbed. One common way it forms is where more resistant rock lies above less resistant rock. The less resistant rock wears away more quickly, so an uneven step develops in the bed.