Case study: The River Tees

Middle Course

Quick recap

Upper Course

Middle Course

Lower Course

On the upper course section of your A3 River Tees profile, annotate the key features of the upper course of the river. Make sure you add labels summarising:

- The shape of the valley

- Erosion

- Landforms with named examples where appropriate.

E

C

A*

ALL of us will be able to understand the basic differences between the upper and middle courses. ALL of us will also be able to explain in simple terms why these differences exist.

MOST of us will ALSO be able to describe the key differences between different sections of the River Tees. MOST of us will ALSO explain why these changes occur and the processes behind the resulting landforms.

SOME of us will ALSO provide a comprehensive description of the variety of changes in Tees Valley . SOME of us will ALSO analyse the factors leading to changes in valley shape and explain in detail the changes in the resulting landforms.

What will I learn today?

The Middle Course

- Watch the clip of the River Tees as it moves from its upper to its middle course.

- Look carefully at how the shape of the valley changes and the course of the actual river itself.

- Also think about other aspects of the river such as its gradient and the volume of water it is carrying.

ChangesV-shaped Valley U-shaped Valley

-The valley of the River Tees has become a lot wider and taken on more of a U-shape.

- Although some vertical erosion does take place, lateral erosion is the more dominant force.

- Bedload is made up of smaller and smoother pebbles.

- River discharge is greater as tributaries have fed their water into the main river. The flow of the river begins to meander rather than flowing straight.

- Although gradients are gentler, velocity is greater as there is now less friction from the river bed and banks.

Describing and Explaining the Changes

Upper Course

Middle Course

Lower Course

Annotate the middle section of your diagram describing and explaining the changes in the river and its valley.

Meanders

-As the rivers enters the middle course it begins to bend side to side to create a common landform known as a meander.

- Watch the video clip carefully which explain the processes involved in the formation of a meander.

Sketch and then annotate a diagram of a meander explaining the processes that lead to its creation.

Ensure that you:

- Direct your arrows pointing to the specific feature that your label is discussing.

- Explain fully the processes at work creating the meander.

- Make frequent and accurate reference to key terms such as erosion, deposition, point bar river cliff etc.

E

C

A*

ALL of us will be able to understand the basic differences between the upper and middle courses. ALL of us will also be able to explain in simple terms why these differences exist.

MOST of us will ALSO be able to describe the key differences between different sections of the River Tees. MOST of us will ALSO explain why these changes occur and the processes behind the resulting landforms.

SOME of us will ALSO provide a comprehensive description of the variety of changes in Tees Valley . SOME of us will ALSO analyse the factors leading to changes in valley shape and explain in detail the changes in the resulting landforms.

What will I learn today?

Mastermind – The River TeesMastermind – The River Tees

Question 1Explain the processes leading to the creation of a V-shaped valley.

Question 2Name the upper course of the River Tees most famous natural feature.

High force (waterfall)

Question 3

Explain why the discharge of the River Tees increases as it moves from the upper to the middle course.

Question 4

Explain the processes behind the formation of a meander bend.

Question 5

Explain the role of meanders in changing the shape of the River Tees valley