Water Erosion Vocabulary

What does water create when it flows downhill over rock?

• River

• Lake

• Waterfall

• Oxbow Lake

What is the main form of erosion that shapes earth's surface?

• Wind

• Water

• Glaciers

• Gravity

Water that flows over the ground surface rather than soaking into the ground.

• Rill

• Gullies

• Lake

• Runoff

A large channel in soil formed by erosion.

• gully
• rill
• stream
• tributary

A tiny groove in soil made by flowing water.

• stream
• gully
• tributary
• rill

Water that fills the cracks and spaces in underground soil and rock layers.

• stream
• tributary
• groundwater
• rain

A landform made of sediment that is deposited where a river flows into an ocean or lake.

• delta
• alluvial fan
• flood plain
• oxbow lake

A meander cut off from a river.

• alluvial fan
• delta
• flood plain
• oxbow lake

A loop like bend in the course of a river.

• meander
• oxbow lake
• alluvial fan
• delta

Wide valley through which a river flows.

• delta
• V-shaped valley
• flood plain
• alluvial fan