lake basin
Sunken land holding water
A lake basin is the depression in the earth's surface that contains or once contained a lake.
The term refers to the physical landform—the bowl-shaped cavity formed by glacial activity, tectonic movement, or volcanic processes—rather than the water itself.
Geologists study lake basins even after the lakes have dried up: The ancient lake basin now holds only salt flats.
- limnologyStudy of inland waters
- water bodyContained natural liquid expanse
- runoffExcess water drainage
- watershedDrainage area boundary
- drainage areaLand draining to one outlet
reservoir · dam · water level · depression · playa · aquifer · kettle · wetland · infiltration · freshwater ecosystem · oxbow · shoreline · moraine · bathymetry · floodplain · biodiversity · evaporation · catchment
lake basinmountain peak
Topmost point of elevation
summit · ridge · hilltop · mountain range · elevation
lake basinriverbed
Floor beneath flowing water
river channel · stream bed · watercourse · river valley · drainage divide