Quiz: All about rivers | Love Our Adventures

As rivers meander their way across the landscape, their paths will slowly change over time. Once the curve gets too great and an easier route presents itself, the river will often diverge leaving the wider corner to form a U-shaped lake. Aussies call them Billabongs, but what do we call those lakes?

Oxbow lake

Solution lake

Aeolian lake

Kettle lake

An interesting phenomenon that impacts many rivers around the United Kingdom is a tidal bore - a relatively rare occurrence worldwide, for this to happen it requires a substantial tidal range and an estuary whose layout naturally acts as a funnel. But what is a bore?

A dredging of the riverbed, that removes a substantial amount of sediment off of the floor

The tide and the rivers flow perfectly balance each other out, resulting in perfectly still water

A draining event where the riverbed becomes visible in the estuary

A wave that flows from the sea back up the river, against the natural flow

Out on your adventures, you may come across large obstructions to the river called weirs. These dam-like structures often span the entire width of rivers but allow water to flow over them - what is their purpose?

To regulate the passage of boats and barges

To control water flow and adjust river height downstream

To mark boundaries of fishing areas

To prevent salt-water making its way up-stream

Rapids, or white-water, are an often exciting and raucous section of river that is popular among rafters for their high speeds and turbulent nature. But what causes rapids to form along an otherwise calm river?

A widening of the river

A change in the riverbed surface, such as a transition from sediment to stone

An increase in flow rate and/or gradient, a decrease in width or an obstruction to the river

Rivers cannot form rapids, they are either calm or high-flowing for their duration

The areas along a riverbank are often some of the most biodiverse and densely vegetated, making them valuable habitats but also increasing their beauty for adventurers passing through. But what is this area called?

Bosque

Riprap

Riparian zone

Greenbelt

The headwater, or source, of a river can often be a debated topic - how do we most commonly define a river's source?

At the first confluence with another river, from the river's mouth

It is defined by the discoverer of the river

The most direct route between the river's mouth and source

The furthest possible point from the river's mouth, regardless of whether that source flows constantly

When two rivers meet at a confluence, how do we determine which of the rivers is the 'main stem', and which is the tributary?

The tributary is always the smaller river in-terms of water volume

Tradition dictates which is considered the tributary, either the discoverer or the local populace will name the river

The tributary is always the shorter river based on its course

Any of these answers can be true

What is the difference between a perennial and an ephemeral river?

One is surrounded by trees, the other is surrounded by plains or flatland

One flows year-round, the other may only exist briefly or for a set period in the year

One flows directly into the ocean, the other flows into another body of water such as a lake

One has a near straight route, the other meanders

While not commonly found in the UK, heavily sedimented rivers can carry that sediment and deposit it into its mouth forming a spiders-web of river outlets with a patchwork of island in-between. What is this area called?

Delta

Riffle

Bar

Dune

The United Kingdom's longest river, the River Severn, sits at a relatively short 220 miles. How many miles long is River Nile, the longest river in the world?

710

1270

3150

4130

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All about rivers