Which landform features ridges that interlock as a river descends, formed by hard rock?

Which landform features ridges that interlock as a river descends, formed by hard rock?

• A. Meander
• B. Interlocking Spurs
• C. Flood Plain
• D. Drainage Basin

Answer: (B)

Interlocking spurs are ridges that project from opposite sides of a river valley and seem to interlock as the river cuts downward. This happens in the upper course of a river where the gradient is steep and vertical erosion dominates. As the river carves into the landscape, it encounters bands of rock with different resistance. The softer rock wears away faster, while harder rock remains as outcrops, forming projecting spurs. Over time, these protrusions on each side grow toward one another, producing the jagged, interlocking pattern you can trace down the valley. Meanders form broad bends in the river, typically where the gradient is lower and lateral erosion dominates, not interlocking ridges. A flood plain is the flat, low-lying area beside a river built up by sediment from periodic floods. A drainage basin is the entire area drained by a river and its tributaries, not a single landform feature.

Interlocking spurs are ridges that project from opposite sides of a river valley and seem to interlock as the river cuts downward. This happens in the upper course of a river where the gradient is steep and vertical erosion dominates. As the river carves into the landscape, it encounters bands of rock with different resistance. The softer rock wears away faster, while harder rock remains as outcrops, forming projecting spurs. Over time, these protrusions on each side grow toward one another, producing the jagged, interlocking pattern you can trace down the valley.

Meanders form broad bends in the river, typically where the gradient is lower and lateral erosion dominates, not interlocking ridges. A flood plain is the flat, low-lying area beside a river built up by sediment from periodic floods. A drainage basin is the entire area drained by a river and its tributaries, not a single landform feature.