screes
Loose slope stones
Screes are accumulations of loose rocks and stones that collect on mountain slopes, typically at the base of cliffs or steep faces.
The fragments break off through weathering and tumble downward, forming unstable slopes that shift underfoot: We picked our way carefully across the screes.
Climbing scree is notoriously difficult—two steps up, one sliding back.
Solid mineral pieces
- stonesSmall hard earth fragments
- bouldersLarge rounded stones
- pebblesSmall water-smoothed stones
- shingleOverlapping roof covering
gravel · rubble · debris · shards · chips · angular · broken · loose
Ankle's main bone
- debrisScattered broken fragments
- erosionGradual wearing away
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
- geomorphologyStudy of terrain formation
clast · sediment · outcrop · bedrock · freeze-thaw · gradient · accumulation · deposition
rocks
Solid mineral pieces
shingle · gravel · rubble · debris · shards · chips · angular · broken · loose · fallen
talus
Ankle's main bone
- debrisScattered broken fragments
- erosionGradual wearing away
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
geomorphology · clast · sediment · outcrop · bedrock · freeze-thaw · gradient · accumulation · deposition
scrambling
Moving clumsily in haste
boots · ankles · slipping · sliding · unstable · treacherous · challenging · ascent · descent · cairns
slope
Angled terrain or steepness
- mountainsideSloping face of peak
- gullyChannel carved by flowing water
- ravineDeep, narrow valley
hillside · gradient · steepness · incline · descent · traverse · foothill · cwm · cirque · col
screesbedrock
Solid stone underground
solid rock · rock face · cliff face · outcrop · living rock
screesfirm ground
Stable, unyielding surface
stable footing · solid ground · paved trail · paved path · flat terrain