GCSE Geography (CIE)

Topic Summaries

Fluvial landform processes

Fluvial landforms resulting from erosion

  • Interlocking spurs: are found in the upper course of a river where the river flows around ridges of hard rock, creating a zig-zag pattern. Valleys are steep-sided and narrow, with a V-shaped profile, formed when:
  1. In the upper course, the river has low energy and erodes vertically through abrasion and hydraulic action.
  2. When the river meets hard, resistant rock, it cannot erode it easily.
  3. Instead, the river bends around the hard rock, leaving interlocking spurs of land that project into the valley.

  • Waterfalls and gorges: waterfalls are steep vertical drops in the river’s course, often with a plunge pool at the base. Gorges are narrow, steepsided valleys formed as waterfalls retreat upstream. They are formed when:
  1. A river flows over a band of hard, resistant rock that lies over soft rock. 
  2. The soft rock is eroded faster due to abrasion and hydraulic action, creating an undercut beneath the hard rock. 
  3. Over time, the hard rock becomes unsupported and collapses into the plunge pool. 
  4. This process repeats, causing the waterfall to retreat upstream. 
  5. The retreating waterfall leaves behind a steep-sided gorge.

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