headcut

hydrology

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June 29, 2026

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A headcut is an abrupt step in a stream's channel profile, ranging from centimeters to meters in height. It can originate from a bare or trampled patch in a vegetated channel bed and grows as it moves upstream. Associated with piping, where water erodes subsoil to form tunnels, headcuts can lead to lateral gullying and lengthen existing cuts. At the base of a headcut, a plunge pool forms, followed by a depositional slope. The formation of successive headcuts can result in a stepped channel profile, characteristic of discontinuous gullies in ephemeral streams.1

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Variation of stream regime
Headcutting is commonly associated with piping, because headcuts frequently expose the subsoil. A headcut is an abrupt step in the channel profile, some centimetres to some metres high; it may originate merely as a bare or trampled patch in a vegetated channel bed but will…
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Headcutting is commonly associated with piping, because headcuts frequently expose the subsoil. A headcut is an abrupt step in the channel profile, some centimetres to some metres high; it may originate merely as a bare or trampled patch in a vegetated channel bed but will…
Read More