river bed
Where currents flow
The river bed is the bottom of a river—the channel carved out by flowing water over time, consisting of rock, sand, gravel, or mud.
When a river dries up or changes course, the exposed river bed remains visible as evidence of where water once flowed.
We walked along the dry river bed looking for interesting stones.
The term is sometimes written as one word: riverbed.
Loose small rock fragments
- sandFine rock particles
- siltWaterborne earth particles
- pebblesSmall water-smoothed stones
- clayMoldable earth for ceramics
boulders · cobbles · shingle · alluvium · deposits · substrate · sedimentary · strata
Extremely dry or thirsty
- crackedHaving surface fractures
- exposedOut in open
- sunbakedDried by solar heat
- dustyCoated with fine particles
arid · desiccated · barren · drought · wadi · arroyo · wash · gulch
To travel without direction
- oxbowTight river curve
- backwaterStagnant side channel
- wetlandWaterlogged land ecosystem
- riparianRelating to riverbanks
levee · marsh · swamp · bayou · braided · anabranch · delta · overflow
Vigorous abrasive cleaning
- undercuttingCharging less than rivals
- downcuttingVertical channel erosion
- abrasionShallow surface wound
- degradationDecline in condition
pothole · incision · entrenchment · armoring · winnowing · plucking · carved · grooved
gravel
Loose small rock fragments
clay · boulders · cobbles · shingle · alluvium · deposits · substrate · sedimentary · strata · sorted
parched
Extremely dry or thirsty
dusty · arid · desiccated · barren · drought · wadi · arroyo · wash · gulch · seasonal
meander
To travel without direction
riparian · levee · marsh · swamp · bayou · braided · anabranch · delta · overflow · inundation
scouring
Vigorous abrasive cleaning
- undercuttingCharging less than rivals
- downcuttingVertical channel erosion
- abrasionShallow surface wound
degradation · pothole · incision · entrenchment · armoring · winnowing · plucking · carved · grooved · polished
- gold sourcesgold mine, ore deposit, vein, lode, nugget
- CanyonsGrand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon, slot canyon, Antelope Canyon
- riversMississippi, Amazon, rivers, Nile, streams
river bedriver bank
Land bordering a watercourse
riverbank · levee · embankment · water surface · shoreline
river bedriver
Large flowing watercourse
stream · waterway · watercourse · flood · torrent
river bedheadwaters
River's starting point
river source · spring · watershed · mountain peak · summit