streambed
Creek's rocky floor
A streambed is the channel along which a stream flows, including the bottom and sides.
When water runs low or the stream dries up, the exposed streambed reveals rocks, sediment, and debris: We walked along the dry streambed looking for fossils.
Also spelled as two words: stream bed.
Loose small rock fragments
- sandFine rock particles
- cobblesRounded paving stones
- pebblesSmall water-smoothed stones
- bouldersLarge rounded stones
alluvium · silt · clay · bedrock · sediment · substrate · strata · conglomerate
Seasonal desert watercourse
- washClean using liquid
- ephemeralLasting very briefly
- seasonalRecurring at fixed intervals
- crackedHaving surface fractures
dusty · parched · drought · waterless · arid · desiccated · barren · sunbaked
To travel without direction
- riffleRapid page flipping
- poolCollective fund or basin
- runMove swiftly on foot
- bankPlace holding deposits
floodplain · confluence · tributary · braided · sinuous · gradient · cross-section · width
Clean by hard rubbing
- downcuttingVertical channel erosion
- incisionControlled cut into tissue
- undercuttingCharging less than rivals
- gullyingForming erosion channels
abrasion · degradation · rill · avulsion · braiding · turbidity · soil loss · siltation
Of the sea bottom
- riffleRapid page flipping
- poolCollective fund or basin
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
- biofilmAdhesive layer of microorganisms
detritus · fish habitat · amphibians · crayfish · invertebrates · aquatic insects · microhabitat · refuge
gravel
Loose small rock fragments
boulders · alluvium · silt · clay · bedrock · sediment · substrate · strata · conglomerate · outcrop
arroyo
Seasonal desert watercourse
cracked · dusty · parched · drought · waterless · arid · desiccated · barren · sunbaked · desolate
meander
To travel without direction
bank · floodplain · confluence · tributary · braided · sinuous · gradient · cross-section · width · depth
scour
Clean by hard rubbing
- downcuttingVertical channel erosion
- incisionControlled cut into tissue
- undercuttingCharging less than rivals
gullying · abrasion · degradation · rill · avulsion · braiding · turbidity · soil loss · siltation · riprap
benthic
Of the sea bottom
biofilm · detritus · fish habitat · amphibians · crayfish · invertebrates · aquatic insects · microhabitat · refuge · interstitial
- freshwaterponds, river water, freshwater lake, creek, brook
- stream ecosystembrook, creek, trout, minnow, tadpole
- hydrologyrivers, streamflow, aquifers, aquifer, lakes
- floodplainsalluvium, flood zone, backswamp, bottomland, floodway
- river featuresriverbank, current, tributary, flow, fork
- river landscapesfloodplain, bottomland, sediment, silt, oxbow lake
streambedstreambank
Land bordering a watercourse
bank · riverbank · embankment · levee · shoreline
streambeddry wash
Riverbed lacking water
arroyo · wadi · live stream · watercourse · gulch