Bank (geography)

In geography a bank generally refers to the land alongside a body of water. Various structures are referred to as banks in different fields of geography.

In limnology, the study of inland waters, a stream bank or river bank is the terrain alongside the bed of a river, creek, or stream. Stream banks are of particular interest in fluvial geography, which studies the processes associated with rivers and streams and the deposits and landforms created by them. The shoreline of ponds, swamps, estuarys, reservoirs, or lakes are also of interest in limnology, and are sometimes referred to as banks. The grade of these banks or shorelines can vary from vertical to a shallow slope.