stream bed
Creek's rocky bottom
The bottom of a stream or river where water flows—the channel carved by moving water over time.
A stream bed may be rocky, sandy, or muddy depending on the terrain.
During dry seasons, a stream bed may be exposed: We walked along the dry stream bed looking for fossils.
Also spelled streambed.
Loose small rock fragments
- pebblesSmall water-smoothed stones
- bouldersLarge rounded stones
- cobblestonesRounded paving stones
- sandFine rock particles
silt · clay · bedrock · substrate · sediment · alluvium · deposits · strata
Unbroken forward movement
- currentDirected flow of charge
- dischargeRelease of substance outward
- velocityDirected rate of motion
- turbulenceChaotic flow patterns
scour · erosion · deposition · armoring · imbrication · channel migration · meander · braiding
Water-deposited loose sediment
- overbank depositsSediment deposited beyond riverbanks
- leveeRiver flood barrier
- riparianRelating to riverbanks
- oxbowTight river curve
backwater · slough · billabong · anabranch · wetland · cutbank · terrace · fluvial
Moth-like aquatic insect
- stoneflyPrimitive aquatic insect
- mayflyShort-lived winged insect
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
- biofilmAdhesive layer of microorganisms
detritus · aquatic plants · salmon · habitat · interstitial fauna · freshwater mussels · crayfish · benthic
gravel
Loose small rock fragments
- pebblesSmall water-smoothed stones
- bouldersLarge rounded stones
- cobblestonesRounded paving stones
sand · silt · clay · bedrock · substrate · sediment · alluvium · deposits · strata · layers
flow
Unbroken forward movement
turbulence · scour · erosion · deposition · armoring · imbrication · channel migration · meander · braiding · degradation
alluvium
Water-deposited loose sediment
- overbank depositsSediment deposited beyond riverbanks
- leveeRiver flood barrier
- riparianRelating to riverbanks
oxbow · backwater · slough · billabong · anabranch · wetland · cutbank · terrace · fluvial · inundation
caddisfly
Moth-like aquatic insect
- stoneflyPrimitive aquatic insect
- mayflyShort-lived winged insect
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
biofilm · detritus · aquatic plants · salmon · habitat · interstitial fauna · freshwater mussels · crayfish · benthic · microhabitat
arroyo
Seasonal desert watercourse
ephemeral · intermittent · seasonal · parched · cracked · exposed · dusty · drought · desiccated · relict
- Stream wordsbrook, creek, rivulet, rill, runnel
- riverbedriver bottom, substrate, bedrock, gravel bars, sandbars
- microhabitatsmicrohabitat, tree hollows, tide pool, rock crevices, leaf litter
- gold sourcesgold mine, ore deposit, vein, lode, nugget
- gulliesgully, gulch, ravine, arroyo, coulee
- riversMississippi, Amazon, river, rivers, Nile
stream bedstream bank
Edge of a watercourse
riverbank · bank · levee · embankment · water surface
bed, stream, beds, streams, streaming, streamlined, streamline, streamed, streamlet