If tectonic uplift steep the gradient of a meandering
stream, the stream may down cut rapidly, preserving
the winding channel by cutting it deeply into bedrock,
forming incised meanders (Fig. 14–21). If the stream
occupied a broad flood plain before tectonic rejuvenation,
floodwaters of the newly incised channel would no
longer reach the old flood plain. The old, abandoned
flood plain at a higher elevation is then called a stream
terrace