cutbanks
River-carved vertical walls
Cutbanks are the steep, eroded outer banks of a river or stream where the current cuts into the shore.
Water flowing around a bend naturally carves into the outside edge, creating a near-vertical face of exposed soil or rock: The trail followed the cutbanks above the river.
The opposite, gently sloping inner bank is called a point bar.
Charging less than rivals
- slumpingDeclining sharply, drooping
- collapseSudden structural failure
- scouringVigorous abrasive cleaning
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
soil loss · washout · abrasion · weathering · deposition · gully · alluvium · riprap
To travel without direction
- streambankLand bordering a watercourse
- channelPassage for transmission
- floodplainFlood-prone riverside lowland
- riparianRelating to riverbanks
oxbow · confluence · tributary · fluvial · braided · currents · discharge · headwaters
undercutting
Charging less than rivals
- slumpingDeclining sharply, drooping
- collapseSudden structural failure
- scouringVigorous abrasive cleaning
sediment · soil loss · washout · abrasion · weathering · deposition · gully · alluvium · riprap · revetment
meander
To travel without direction
- streambankLand bordering a watercourse
- channelPassage for transmission
- floodplainFlood-prone riverside lowland
riparian · oxbow · confluence · tributary · fluvial · braided · currents · discharge · headwaters · delta
escarpment
Steep slope dividing elevations
cliff · ravine · gulch · canyon · valley · ridge · plateau · terrain · topography · geology
precipice
Steep rock face
incline · declivity · grade · pitch · angle · vertical · sheer · overhanging · unstable