gulleys
Narrow water channels
Gulleys is the plural of gulley, a variant spelling of gully—a narrow channel or ravine carved by running water.
Gulleys form on hillsides after heavy rains, cutting into soil or soft rock: The storm left deep gulleys across the field.
In urban settings, gulleys are drainage channels along roads.
Channel for flowing liquid
- channelPassage for transmission
- runnelSmall flowing waterway
- rillVery small stream
- streambedRiver's carved floor
ditch · culvert · conduit · outfall · swale · catchment · watershed · stormwater
Steep-sided narrow valleys
- canyonsDeep, narrow valleys
- gorgesSteep-walled river valleys
- arroyosArid-region drainage channels
- wadisSeasonal desert watercourses
chasms · defiles · draws · chines · notches · flumes · rifts · trenches
Excess water drainage
- scouringVigorous abrasive cleaning
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
- soil lossRemoval of topsoil
degradation · siltation · detritus · undercutting · incision · downcutting · terracing · riprap
watercourse
Channel for flowing liquid
streambed · ditch · culvert · conduit · outfall · swale · catchment · watershed · stormwater · downspout
ravines
Steep-sided narrow valleys
wadis · chasms · defiles · draws · chines · notches · flumes · rifts · trenches · furrows
runoff
Excess water drainage
- scouringVigorous abrasive cleaning
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
soil loss · degradation · siltation · detritus · undercutting · incision · downcutting · terracing · riprap · gabions
badlands
Arid, heavily eroded terrain
- hillsidesSlanted terrain faces
- slopesAngled ground surfaces
- escarpmentsSteep slope or cliff
ridges · outcrops · highlands · plateaus · mesas · buttes · tablelands
- stuck in someone's gulletCauses lasting resentment
- sticks in someone's gulletRemains annoyingly unacceptable