Entrenched river

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/entrenched-river

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?N/A (Geomorphological Feature)
2. What is the habitat?Tectonically active regions, areas with significant base-level change
3. Why do some rivers carve deep valleys?When the land lifts up, the river has more energy to erode, and if it can keep up, it digs deeper instead of widening. Also changes in sea level or rock layers can make the river cut more.
4. How do rocks affect the shape of an entrenched river valley?Hard igneous or metamorphic rocks make near‑vertical cliffs, while softer sedimentary rocks can create step‑like layers because different layers erode at different speeds.

Tectonic Uplift: The geological process of crustal elevation due to forces within the Earth's mantle.
Base Level: The lowest elevation to which a river can erode its channel.
Downcutting: The erosion of a river channel vertically into its bed, deepening the valley.
Lateral Erosion: The erosion of a river channel sideways, widening the valley.