Silt is one type of material found on the bottom of a stream. Silt is fine and can be carried along in moving water, but is heavyier than water, so settles out of the water as it slows. It can be organic or mineral.
A stream bed is the bottom (floor) of the stream.
Stream Load is the amount of material a stream can hold as it flows. As a stream flows it causes erosion, and this erosion is carried about as material in the stream. As too much is eroded, the extra material will fall to the bottom, or push it's way to the sides.
Bed
Potholes form in the stream bottom through erosion caused by water and rocks and wildlife.
it erodes on its bottom
it erodes on its bottom
it erodes on its bottom
A stream bed is the bottom sediment layer of the stream channel which is constantly inundated with water. It is a saturated layer of sediment inhabitated by macroinvertibrates, algae, macrophytes, and microbes. The particle size of the stream bed material (fine clay vs large rock and boulders) is dependent on geologic region, size of the stream, and stream velocity. The stream bank is the adjacent sloping walls that confine the stream on either side. They are typically not wet except in times of high flows. Banks typically can grow more terrestrial vegetation such as reeds, grasses, and trees.
Definition of Streambed: the bottom of the stream below the usual water surface.
Sediment that is carried by a stream along the bottom of its channel.
heavy particles that move along the bottom of the stream.
The ability of a stream to erode and transport material largely depends on its discharge, velocity, gradient, and the size and shape of the sediments. These factors influence how much sediment a stream can carry and how effectively it can erode material from its surroundings.