Mammoth Memory

Geography Test Yourself

Here's a really quick way of testing if you've learned the meanings of the key words in this section. Look at the key word on the card and see if you can remember its definition.

If you get stuck, you can be shown the mnemonic to reveal an image that should help you remember.

To check if you're right, or remind you if you've forgotten, press the card to flip it.

Go through the whole list to see how many definitions you can recall. Revisit any that you had difficulty remembering until you're confident you can recall all of them.

River Traction
The rolling of boulders and pebbles along the river bed by the force of the current
Mnemonic
Hydraulic action
Fast-flowing water hits the bed and banks of the river and forces air into cracks in the bedrock. The repeated sudden changes in air pressure cause the cracks to break open further
Mnemonic
River Abrasion
Rocks carried along by the river wear down the river bed and banks
Mnemonic
Attrition
Rocks being carried by the river smash together and break into smaller, smoother and rounder particles
Mnemonic
Load
The material transported by a river
Mnemonic
Channel Straightening
Removing meanders from a river to make it straighter
Mnemonic
Cross-Profile
The side to side cross-section of a river channel and/or valley
Mnemonic
Dam and Reservoir
A barrier (made of earth, concrete or stone) built across a valley to interrupt river flow and create a man-made lake (reservoir), which stores water and controls the discharge of the river
Mnemonic
Discharge
The quantity of water that flows past a given point on a stream or river-bank within a given period of time
Mnemonic
Embankments
Raised banks along the river; they effectively make the river deeper so it can hold more water
Mnemonic
Estuary
The tidal mouth of a river where it meets the sea; wide banks of deposited mud are exposed at low tide
Mnemonic
Flood
Occurs when river discharge exceeds river channel capacity and water spills out of the channel into the flood plain and other areas
Mnemonic
Flood Relief Channels
Building new artificial channels which are used when a river is close to maximum discharge
Mnemonic
Flood plain
The relatively flat area forming the valley floor on either side of a river channel, which is sometimes flooded
Mnemonic
Flood plain zoning
This is a way of organising flood defences and ensuring that land which often floods is not built on
Mnemonic
Flood Warning
Providing reliable advance information about possible flooding. Flood warning systems give people time to remove possessions and evacuate areas
Mnemonic
Flood Risk
The predicted frequency of floods in an area
Mnemonic
Fluvial Processes
Processes relating to erosion, transport and deposition by a river
Mnemonic
Gorge
A narrow, steep sided valley, sometimes formed as a waterfall retreats upstream
Mnemonic
Hard Engineering
The building of artificial structures using materials such as rock, concrete and steel, to reduce, disrupt or stop the impact of the erosion process in rivers
Mnemonic
More Info