Earth science Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four spheres ...

, a pothole is a smooth, bowl-shaped or cylindrical hollow, generally deeper than wide, found carved into the rocky bed of a watercourse. Other names used for riverine potholes are pot, (stream) kettle, giant's kettle, evorsion, hollow, rock mill, churn hole, eddy mill, and kolk.Neuendorf, K.K.E., J.P. Mehl, Jr., and J.A. Jackson, eds., 2011. ''Glossary of Geology'' (5th ed.). Alexandria, Virginia, American Geological Institute. 800 pp. Although somewhat related to a pothole in origin, a plunge pool (or plunge basin or waterfall lake) is the deep depression in a stream bed at the base of a waterfall. It is created by the erosional forces of turbulence generated by water falling on rocks at a waterfall's base where the water impacts.Marshak, Stephen, 2009. ''Essentials of Geology,'' W. W. Norton & Company, 3rd ed. Potholes are also sometimes referred to as swirlholes. This word was created to avoid confusion with an English term for a vertical or steeply inclined

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

ic shaft in limestone. However, given widespread usage of this term for a type of fluvial sculpted bedrock landform, ''pothole'' is preferred in usage to ''swirlhole''.Richardson, K. and Carling, P., 2005. ''A typology of sculpted forms in open bedrock channels.'' ''Special Paper'' 392. Boulder, Colorado: Geological Society of America. 108 pp. ThePotThatWashesItself

The term ''pothole'' is also used to refer to other types of depressions and basins that differ in origin. For example, some authorsChan, M.A., Moser, K., Davis, J.M., Southam, G., Hughes, K. and Graham, T., 2005. ''Desert potholes: ephemeral aquatic microsystems.'' ''Aquatic Geochemistry'', 11(3), pp. 279-302.Hughes, Kebbi A., 2012
''Bacterial Communities and their Influence on the Formation and Development of Potholes in Sandstone Surfaces of the Semi-Arid Colorado Plateau''
University of Western Ontario - Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. Paper 543. refer to '' panholes'' found in the

Colorado Plateau The Colorado Plateau, also known as the Colorado Plateau Province, is a physiographic and desert region of the Intermontane Plateaus, roughly centered on the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States. This province covers an area of ...

also as ''potholes''. Other terms used for panholes are ''gnamma'' (Australia), ''opferkessel'' (German, roughly “sacrificial basin”), ''armchair hollows'', ''weathering pans'' (or ''pits'') and ''solution pans'' or ''solution pits''.Twidale, C.R., and Bourne, J.A., 2018
''Rock basins (gnammas) revisited.''
Géomorphologie: Relief, Processus, Environnement, Articles sous presse, Varia, mis en ligne le 08 janvier 2018, consulté le 01 juillet 2018. In another case, the term ''pothole'' is used to refer to a shallow depression, generally less than in area that occurs between

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

s or on subdued morainic relief on a prairie, as in Minnesota and the Dakotas, and often contains an intermittent pond or marsh that serves as a nesting place for waterfowl.

Origin

The consensus of geomorphologists and sedimentologists is that fluvial potholes are created by the grinding action of either a stone or stones or coarse sediment ( sand,

gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

pebble A pebble is a clast of rock with a particle size of based on the Udden-Wentworth scale of sedimentology. Pebbles are generally considered larger than granules ( in diameter) and smaller than cobbles ( in diameter). A rock made predominant ...

boulder In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In c ...

s), whirled around and kept in motion by eddies within and force of the stream current in a given spot. Being a spectacular feature of bedrock river channels, they have been and still are studied extensively and considered as a key factor in bedrock channel development and morphology and important factor in the incision of bedrock channels.Das, B.C., 2018. ''Development of Streambed Potholes and the Role of Grinding Stones.'' ''Journal of Environmental Geography.'' 11 (1–2), 9–16.Whipple, K.X., Hancock, G.S., and Anderson, R.S., 2000. ''River Incision Into Bedrock: Mechanics And Relative Efficacy Of Plucking, Abrasion And Cavitation.'' ''Geological Society Of America Bulletin.'' 112, 490–503.

References

{{reflist Landforms Depressions (geology)