Lateral erosion erodes the banks of the river. This is more common in the middle and lower courses of a river.

Find out more about river erosion.

Three ways humans can increase the risk of flooding in rural areas are:

• Deforestation
• Intensive farming, leaving fields bare in the winter
• Overgrazing
• Increased use of polytunnels

Find out more about human and physical causes of flooding.

Characteristics of a gorge include:

• very narrow valley
• very steep, high valley sides is
• located immediately downstream of a waterfall
• river channel takes up most, if not all, of the valley floor
• boulders litter the river bed
• turbulent, fast-flowing whitewater

Find out more about the landforms of erosion in the upper course of a river.

Interlocking spurs are fingers of land that jut out into the river valley that streams and rivers are forced to flow around in the upper course.

Find out more about the landforms of erosion in the upper course of a river.

Attrition is when sediment particles knock against the bed or each other and break, becoming more rounded and smaller as you move down the river.

Find out more about river erosion.