The image above shows a raging mountain river in full flood. What do you think is making
the water brown in color? The dirt from the mountain is making the river brown.
2. What impact do you think the flooding river will have on the surrounding landscape? The
impact that the flooding river wil...
Vocabulary: cutbank, discharge, erosion, flood,
floodplain, meander, meandering river, oxbow lake,
point bar, river speed, sediments, slope,
streambank, streambed, tributary, weathering
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE
using the Gizmo.)
1. The image above shows a raging mountain river in full flood. What do you think is making
the water brown in color? The dirt from the mountain is making the river brown.
2. What impact do you think the flooding river will have on the surrounding landscape? The
impact that the flooding river will have on the surrounding landscape I think is that the soil
will not me stable and landslide have a higher possibility of happening.
Gizmo Warm-up
If you stand by the bank of a river, it may seem that very little is
happening. But over thousands and even millions of years,
rivers can have a profound effect on the landscape. In the River
Erosion Gizmo, you will see how rivers move materials and how
they affect landscapes.
To begin, check that Mountain stream and Short-term erosion are selected. The Gizmo
shows a typical stream that is moving through a hilly area.
1. The two movie cameras ( ) allow you to observe different parts of the stream up close.
Click on the left movie camera. What do you see? On the left movie camera, I see under the
surface on the river and I see a fish swimming.
2. Sediments are small rock fragments such as sand or pebbles. What evidence do you see
that sediments are being transported? On the right camera, sediments are falling into the
, river and the river’s current moving the sediment along with it.
3. Now select the right movie camera to see the bank of the mountain stream. What is
happening to sediments on the bank? The sediments on the bank are being push/
transported by the river’s current.
Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A: Check that Mountain stream and Short-term
erosion are selected.
Mountain streams
If necessary, click outside the circle to close the
zoomed-in view.
Introduction: Erosion occurs when sediments and other materials are moved from one place
to another. Along with weathering, which is the breakdown of large rocks into smaller
sediments, erosion can have a profound impact on the landscape.
Question: How does river erosion affect landscapes in the mountains?
1. Label: First, get to know some of the
different parts of a mountain stream. Turn
on Show labels. Label the image to the
right, then fill in the word that goes with
each description.
A small stream that flows into a larger
stream: Tributary
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