Cross section of a river

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Upper-course

Middle-course

Lower-course

In the upper-course of the river we saw interlocking spurs. These are formed when the river doesn't have enough energy to erode the banks, and is forced around them instead. The river valley was v-shaped and the relief was steep. V-shaped valleys are caused when the river in the upper-course only has enough energy to erode vertically and so a deep gorge is formed. Weathering on the rock walls of the gorge weaken them and cause large chunks of rock to fall into the gorge, eventually forming a v-shaped valley. Rocks in the upper-course of the river are large and angular because, being new to the river; they have undergone minimal attrition in comparison to rocks in the middle and lower-course. These rocks cause friction lowering the discharge in the upper-course. Another factor in the discharge of the river is whether the rock is impermeable or permeable. In Holford Combe, although the rock below the river (red sandstone) was impermeable, it was fractured allowing infiltration. This fracturing was due to the same tectonic plate movement that formed the Alps. Another feature found in the upper-course of rivers are waterfalls. These are formed when water