The journey a river takes from its source to its mouth is called the course of the river. This course is broken up into three different stages. Youth
Maturity Old Age
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Upper Course
Middle Course
Lower Course
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Small river Flows down steep slopes
Erodes river bed vertically (downwards)
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V-shaped valley Interlocking spurs Waterfalls
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Large river
Flows quickly down gentle slopes
Erodes river banks laterally (sidewards)
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Meanders Wide valleys
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Very large river Flows on flat slopes
Deposits lots of material carried from upstream
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Ox-bow lakes Flood plains Deltas Levees
1. What is a flood plain? 2. What is the name for the path that the river takes to get to the sea? 3. Draw and label a diagram to show the three stages of a river.
