Levees and Floodplains Flashcards

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What are the characteristics of levees?
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The main characteristics of levees are:

  • raised river banks
  • consist of gravel, stones and small sediment
  • steep on the channel side, gentle sloping on the land side
  • relatively flat top covered in grass

Find out more about landforms in the lower course of the river.

What are the characteristics of levees?
How is a flood plain formed?
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Floodplains form due to erosion and deposition. Erosion removes any interlocking spurs, creating a wide, flat area on either side of the river. During a flood, the material being carried by the river is deposited (as the river loses its speed and energy to transport material). Over time, the height of the floodplain increases as the material is deposited on either side of the river. The floodplain is often a wide, flat area caused by meanders shifting along the valley.

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How is a flood plain formed?
What are the characteristics of a flood plain?
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Characteristics of a flood plain include:

  • A large area of flat land either side of a river
  • layers of alluvium cover the flood plain
  • a river bluff along the edge of a flood plain
  • meander scars
  • levees
  • rich, fertile soil
  • reeds and marsh plants

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What are the characteristics of a flood plain?
Why are flood plains often very fertile?
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It’s made up of alluvium (deposited silt from a river flood).

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Why are flood plains often very fertile?
What is a flood plain?
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A flood plain is a large area of flat land on either side of the river that experiences or has experienced flooding.

Find out more about landforms in the lower course of the river.

What is a flood plain?




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