riverbeds

Where currents carve

Riverbeds are the channels along which rivers flow—the ground beneath the water.

A riverbed may be rocky, sandy, or silty.

During drought, riverbeds can dry up completely, exposing what's normally hidden underwater: We walked along the exposed riverbed looking for fossils.

geological

sediment

Particles settling in liquid

  • gravelLoose small rock fragments
  • sandFine rock particles
  • siltWaterborne earth particles

cobbles · alluvium · clay · bedrock · boulders · deposits · substrate · channel · erosion · meandering

aquatic

spawning

Releasing eggs to reproduce

  • habitatOrganism's natural environment
  • salmonPink-fleshed migratory fish
  • troutFreshwater game fish

crayfish · mussels · algae · riffles · pools · eddies · oxygenation · ecosystem · benthic · larvae

dry

arroyo

Seasonal desert watercourse

  • wadiIntermittent desert watercourse
  • washClean using liquid
  • droughtProlonged water scarcity

seasonal · cracked · parched · ephemeral · intermittent · dusty · exposed · fossils · bleached · arid

gold

prospecting

Searching for mineral wealth

  • panningLateral camera traverse
  • sluiceGated water conduit
  • placerMineral-rich sediment accumulation

nuggets · flakes · mining · claims · paydirt · concentrate · classifier · dredging · Klondike · California

Categories
Opposites
water channel position

riverbedsriverbanks

Edges of flowing waterways

banks · levees · embankments · shorelines · floodplains

water vs. land surface

riverbedsmountaintops

Highest points of peaks

summits · peaks · ridges · hilltops · plateaus

hydrological features

riverbedsheadwaters

River's starting point

springs · sources · watersheds · river mouths · deltas

Phrases
Family

riverbed

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G