River Systems 01/21/1511-1b pgs. 272-274

IN: Which stage of the water cycle brings most of the water to Nevada?

Terms to Learn and ObjectivesTerms to learn:

*erosion *tributary *drainage basin *divide*channel *load

Objectives:Identify the watershed of the Colorado River.Determine the location of the Continental

Divide.Explain factors the effect how a river causes

erosion on the land.

What is this a picture of?Grand

Canyon

What carved the canyon?Colorado

River

What is this process called?Erosion

Colorado River System

What do rivers do?ErosionTransportationDeposition

Erosion - the removal and transport of surface material, such as rock and soil.

River Systems

Tributaries – smaller streams or rivers that flow into larger ones.

Drainage basin (also sometimes called a watershed) – the land drained by a river system.

Cut and paste the diagram of the Colorado River Drainage Basin.

Color each of the five tributaries a different color.

Label each tributary.

The Colorado River Watershed5 main tributaries:*Green *San Juan*Little Colorado*Virgin*Gila

Divide - an area of higher ground than the basins it separates.

All water on this side drains into the Pacific Ocean.

All water on this side drains into the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

Find the Continental DividePut a dot at the end of each tributary that

leads from the east to the west.Connect the dots.

The line should connect right about here

Stream ErosionAll rivers start as streams.As more rock and soil are transported downstream, channels become wider and deeper.

Channel – the path that a stream follows.

What factors effect the rate of stream erosion?GradientDischarge Load

Gradient – the steepness of a river or stream. (kind of like the slope)

Discharge - the amount of water a stream or river carries in a given amount of time.

Load - the materials carried in a stream’s water.

OUT: How does the water cycle help develop river systems?