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Geolens

Glossary

417 words used in the labs.

Find a term from the labs, understand the process behind it, and see how it appears in the landscape. Each entry connects an explanation with a real observation and a model you can explore.

Term

Beheaded stream

A stream whose former headwaters have been diverted into another drainage system by river capture.

What to look for

The Aitrach valley preserves the former route of the Feldberg Danube. Capture by the Wutach diverted its large upstream flow towards the Rhine, leaving the small Aitrach in an oversized valley. The channel itself is difficult to distinguish in this landscape view.

Related labs

River capture →
A broad, grassy former river valley near Blumberg, now drained by the much smaller Aitrach.
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Explore further with USGS water glossary · USGS volcano glossary · NPS glacial geology · NASA Earth facts. Photograph acknowledgements are collected on the Image credits page.