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Watersheds. Vocabulary Snapshots. watershed. The land area that supplies a river system A.K.A drainage basin. elevation. Level of height above sea level. Topographical map. A map that uses contour lines to show the changing elevations of an area on the Earth’s surface A.K.A. relief map.
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Watersheds Vocabulary Snapshots
watershed • The land area that supplies a river system • A.K.A drainage basin
elevation • Level of height above sea level
Topographical map • A map that uses contour lines to show the changing elevations of an area on the Earth’s surface • A.K.A. relief map
Divide • A ridge of land that separates one watershed from another
headwaters • The many small streams that come together at the source (start of river)
tributary • A smaller stream that feeds into a main river
Flood plain • A broad flat valley through which a river flows
sediments • The particles of rocks and soil are broken off from the ground surface and carried away
erosion • The process by which fragments of soil and rock are broken off from the ground and carried away
Deposition • The process by which soil and rock are deposited in a new location
meander • A looping curve formed in a river as it winds through its flood plain
Oxbow lake • the crescent-shaped, cutoff body of water that remains after a river carves a new channel
mouth • The point where the river flows into another body of water
delta • The area of sediment deposits that build up near a river’s mouth