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Case Study: The River Eden - Landforms

Geography: Edexcel IGCSE, topic 1.1.20

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.

Waterfalls

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.
Meanders

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.
V-shaped valleys

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.
Floodplains

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.
The River Eden's course

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.

Test yourself on Case Study: The River Eden - Landforms

  • Which of the following is true of the River Eden?

  • What city can be found on the floodplain of the River Eden?

  • What type of erosion causes meanders to form?

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