The document summarizes information about the Romsdalen Valley in Norway. It is a 60-kilometer long V-shaped valley that runs through two counties. The Rauma River flows through the bottom of the valley and eventually empties into Romsdalsfjorden. Large debris and material regularly flow down the river, making it ideal for white water rafting. This is caused by rocks falling from the steep valley sides due to weathering and freeze-thaw cycles that cause cracking and crumbling of the cliff faces.

1. MatthewMortimer
Geography
Fact file: Romsdalen Valley, Norway
Romsdalen is a V-shaped valley in Norway. It is 60-
kilometres (37 mi) long and runs through Rauma
Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county and Lesja
Municipality in Oppland county. At the bottom of
the valley is the Rauma River, which eventually
flows into Romsdalsfjorden.
The riveris oftenfull of large debrisandmaterial,
makingitideal forwhite waterrafting. Thisiscausedby
rocks fallingdownfromhighuponthe valleysides.
Weatheringisoftentoblame forthe fallingof these boulders,butdue tothe climate inNorway,
freeze thawisthe biggestfactor.Inwintertime,the mountainseitherside of Romsdalenare
coveredinthicksnow.The temperature easilydipsbelow -25°C.Waterfromrain and fromsnow
findsitswayintocracks on the cliff surface.Uponfreezing,thiswaterexpands,andfracturesthe
rock, breakingitfromthe cliff face.Gravitythencausesthe rock to tumble downintothe river
below. The valleycliffsare greatforrockingclimbing.
The riverRauma thenbreaksdownthese rocksthrough
processessuchas hydraulicaction.Muchlike freeze-thaw,
wateris forcedintothe cracks inthe boulders,pressurising
the air withinthe cracks.Thistime,insteadof freezing,the
waterretreats.The air inthe cracks rapidlyexpands,
litterallysnappingthe rockaway.
An image of the steep sided Romsdalen Valley
with the Rauma flowing at its base.
An image showing the large boulders fallen from
the valleysidesinthe icywaterof the river Rauma.
Here is a diagram
showingthe processof
how a V-shapedvalleyis
formed.Keepinmind
that to create a large
valleythe processmay
take many hundredsof
thousandsof years.

2. MatthewMortimer
Area of erosion Meander meets River finds original path
and cuts off Oxbow lake
Fact File: River Dart Meanders
The river Dart features several meanders. The ones featured here are South of Totnes in
South Devon, England. The River Dart is a river in Devon, England which rises high on
Dartmoor, and releases to the sea at Dartmouth. As the river erodes laterally, to the right
side then the left side, it forms large bends, and then horseshoe-like loops called meanders.
This is what has happened to the river dart. The river Dart is extremely popular for canoeing
and also kayaking. Also, the inner curve of the meander makes for an ideal mini headland
for keen anglers looking to catch the abundant river Salmon.
The outside of the
bendsiswhere the
velocityof the
wateris at its
highest,causing
erosionthrough
processessuchas
abrasion.
On the inside of the curvesthe velocityisalotslower.
Insteadof erosion,we see deposition.Materialscarriedin
the riverby processessuchassolutionare deposited,
buildinguplandascan be seeninthe image above.
A meandercan
erode a bendso
much itbreaks
throughintothe
nextcurve.This
redirectsthe river
straight,andcan
leave anOxbowlake.
The piece of landon
the image isthinning
and isin dangerof
this.
One erosional processwearingawaythe riverbanks couldbe Abrasion.Thisiswhen rockscarriedalongby the
riverweardownthe riverbedand banksas theyhit and travel alongthem.Thiswearingdownof the bankas
statedbefore canbreakthroughto create an Oxbow lake,asshowninthe diagrambelow.

3. MatthewMortimer
An image showingthe banksof
siltdepositedasthe riverdumps
itsload.Note the brown,murky
water.Thisclearlyshowsthe
processesof transportation,such
as suspension,are takingplace.
Fact File: Mississippi River Delta
The Mississippi River Delta region is a 3-million-acre (12,000
km²) area of land that stretches from Vermillion Bay east to
the Chandeleur Islands on the southern coast of Louisiana. It
is part of the Louisiana coastal plain, one of the largest areas
of coastal wetlands in the United States. It is the 7th largest
delta on Earth.
As the Mississippi river reaches the sea it loses its velocity,
meaning it deposits the materials it was carrying. The main
deposits of the Mississippi River are sand, clay and silt. These
materials are carried through several processes, one of which
is suspension. This is when fine light material is carried along
in the water. As the river velocity reduces, it dumps its load.
This builds up the large banks as shown in the river Delta.
This land is very fertile as the soil is rich in minerals such as alluvium which is carried by the
river down from places higher up in its course. This makes the wetlands ideal for farming.
Also the Delta attracts lots of wildlife, making it a great nature reserve to see all kinds of
animals and birds.
A map locatingandalso showing the
sheer size of the Mississippi River
Delta.
ThisI a veryaccurate
diagramdetailinghow
a Deltais builtup over
time,verymuchlike
the Mississippi river
Delta.