Rivers tributaries Drainage basin The streams rivers that

• Rivers – tributaries • Drainage basin • The streams & rivers that flow into a larger river – Creates a river system • Watershed – land drained by a river system – Example: Mississippi River Basin • Drains Rockies to East side of TN & KY out Gulf of Mexico • Divides • Channel • A general higher ground that divides the drainage basins from each other • The path a stream follows – 1. small & steep = young – 2. wider & deep = older – Get larger = become rivers

• Gradient • The measure of the change in elevation over a certain distance • High = high erosion, lots of energy • Low = low erosion, less energy • Discharge • The amount of water a stream or river carries in a given amt. of time – Rain, melting snow (increase) – Drought (decrease) • Load • Stages of a River • The materials carried by the stream/river waters • The different stages a river goes through from start to finish

• Stages: Youthful Rivers • Channel deeper than wide • Steep gradient – flow faster • Straight, steep path – Rapids (over rocks) & waterfalls – Not many tributaries • Stages: Mature/Old Rivers • Channel wider than deep • Less steep gradient – flows slower • Curvy, meandering path – Has tributaries • River/Stream Deposits – Alluvium – Deltas • Rock & soil deposited by streams/rivers • A fan-shaped deposit of alluvium deposited where a river meets a large body of water (Mississippi River Delta)