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Case Study: The River Eden - Landforms

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River Eden Landforms

The River Eden is located in north-west England at the boundary between Yorkshire and Cumbria. Its source is in the Pennines in Cumbria and its mouth is at the English-Scottish border.

Illustrative background for WaterfallsIllustrative background for Waterfalls ?? "content

Waterfalls

  • Hell Gill Force is an 8-metre waterfall. It is the tallest waterfall on the River Eden.
  • When a river flows over hard rock that overlays softer rock, a waterfall can form.
  • There is a gorge behind. Gorges are formed when waterfalls retreat over time.
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Meanders

  • Meanders form because of lateral erosion.
  • There are lots of meanders in the lower course (e.g. the meanders by Salkeld).
  • Some of these meanders have become ox-bow lakes.
Illustrative background for V-shaped valleysIllustrative background for V-shaped valleys ?? "content

V-shaped valleys

  • The edge of the River Eden's basin is dominated by hills at about 500-700m above sea level.
  • These steep slopes have streams that carve V-shaped valleys into the side of the Lake District's hills.
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Floodplains

  • The Eden's floodplain is home to the town of Carlisle.
  • A flood plain is the wide area of flat land that surrounds rivers in their lower courses at the bottom of a valley. As the name suggests, these areas can flood.
  • Flood plains are created by meander migration close to the mouth of the river.
  • During floods, the water loses speed and deposits the sediment that it's transporting. This increases the height of the flood plain.
Illustrative background for The River Eden's courseIllustrative background for The River Eden's course ?? "content

The River Eden's course

  • The River Eden's source is in the Pennines in Cumbria and its mouth is at the English-Scottish border. This is in a steep-sided valley.
  • The middle course of the Eden flows through an area of soft rock. In the middle course, neither erosion nor deposition is particularly dominant. This means that the valley is more gentle and the channel is wider.
  • In the lower course, deposition dominates over erosion. This means that the valley is wide and flat, and the channel is wide and deep.
  • The rocks and sediment are more eroded by the lower course and are smaller and more round.

Jump to other topics

1Physical Geography

1.1River Environments

1.2Coastal Environments

1.3Hazardous Environments - Tropical Cyclones

1.4Hazardous Environments - Earthquakes & Volcanoes

2Human Geography

3Global Issues

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