science

Ravine

Ravine is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ravine rather than just read about it. In short: A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys.

Key takeaways

Ravine belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Ravine to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Ravine from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. A ravine may also be called a cleuch, dene or dean, dell, ghout (Nevis), gill or ghyll, glen, goyle, gorge, kloof (South Africa), or chine (Isle of Wight). A ravine is generally a fluvial slope landform of relatively steep (cross-sectional) sides, on the order of twenty to seventy percent in gradient. Ravines may or may not have active streams flowing along the downslope channel which originally formed them. Moreover, they are often characterized by intermittent streams, since their geographic scale may not be sufficiently large to support a perennial stream.

Definition According to Merriam-Webster, a ravine is "a small, narrow, steep-sided valley that is larger than a gully and smaller than a canyon and that is usually worn by running water." Some societies and languages do not differentiate between a gully and ravine; in others, there is a distinction, particularly when concerning environmental management.

Formation Gullies are often found in hilly or mountainous regions, where water runoff is guided downhill by steep slopes and over time erodes the landscape. A ravine is the final step in gully erosion, formed when a stream has eroded so severely it forms a deep cut in the earth. A gully can be classified as a ravine after it reaches a large depth, typically in excess of 5 metres (16 ft).

Environmental impact

Ravine erosion contributes heavily to land loss globally and particularly threatens agricultural lands. Additionally, soil loss contributes to pollution, flooding, and sedimentation of waterways. The formation of ravine lands can be sped up by deforestation and overgrazing. In Indian badlands, soil erosion is estimated to exceed a rate of 40 tonnes per hectare (16 long ton/acre; 18 short ton/acre) annually.

Examples

Hawaii The shield volcanoes of Hawaii have significant impact on the distribution of ravines across the islands, specifically Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, the former of which is one of the most active shield volcanoes on Earth. Both of these volcanoes show V-shaped ravines on their flanks, solely where they have been mantled by Pahala ash. Being the older of the two, Mauna Kea displays more pronounced dissection of these ravines. Rainfall and infiltration capacity are critical to valley initiation on the Hawaiian volcanoes. Once these valleys are initiated, their streams incise to form V-shaped ravines. Eventually, they become sufficiently deep ravine systems and expose groundwater activity. The deepest of these incisions are U-shaped, theatre-headed valleys.

Notable ravines

References

Citations

Bibliography Dagar, Jagdish Chander; Singh, Anil Kumar, eds. (2018). Ravine Lands: Greening for Livelihood and Environmental Security. Springer Nature Singapore. doi:10.1007/978-981-10-8043-2. ISBN 978-981-10-8043-2. LCCN 2018935227 – via SpringerLink. Dagar, Jagdish Chander; Singh, Anil Kumar (2018a). "Chapter 1: Introduction". In Dagar & Singh (2018). Dagar, Jagdish Chander. "Chapter 2: Ravines: Formation, Extent, Classification, Evolution and Measures of Prevention and Control". In Dagar & Singh (2018).

External links Media related to Ravines at Wikimedia Commons The dictionary definition of ravine at Wiktionary

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ravine

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ravine claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ravine before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ravine ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ravine

In research: Ravine appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ravine in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ravine is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Erosion landforms, Fluvial landforms, Oronyms, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ravine outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Ravine in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Ravine means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Ravine out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ravine in simple terms?

A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys.

Why does Ravine matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ravine?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ravine.