What is the difference between a gorge and a gulch

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Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. I recently went for a hike up a gorge and then down a ravine.

What is the difference between a gorge and a ravine? And how does canyon fit in? My impression was that there was an implied scale, where a ravine is smaller than a gorge, which is smaller than a canyon. All of these geographical features seem to be created in the same way: a river or stream eroding hard rocky material, giving steep sides. Looking at Wikipedia, there are entries for both "ravine" and "canyon".

It seems to imply that all three words can be used interchangeably. But are there some technical differences between these words to inform their usage? The definition of canyon from Cambridge seems to fit the best, considering the large size of the Grand Canyon, or Fish River Canyon.

Merriam-Webster seems to agree that a ravine is smaller than a canyon, and also seems to define gorge as a smaller canyon. Overall, given these definitions, I would use canyon for the largest land-forms, and gully for the smallest ones. Gorge and ravine seem like they could be used interchangeably.

Words aren't computer programs. They aren't exactly specified. There's a lot of room for slight differences. Pebble, stone, rock. Honesty, integrity, fidelity. Kingly, royal, regal. Definitions of words are not the words themselves. They are attempts at capturing how to use words, but you can't, as you can in math, replace a word with its definition and have everything work out as intended. Lexicographers are highly knowledgeable about the nuances of words, but they are constrained by page space or nowadays by reader attention to limit the number of words in a definition.

Also, 'canyon' is a borrowing from Spanish into English and is common in the southwest US like 'arroyo'. All that said, I share your vague perception that a canyon is bigger than a gorge which is bigger than a ravine which is bigger than a gulley. This means that a canyon is a valley with steep sides, and a gorge is a ravine with a river. A canyon may also refer to a rift between two mountain peaks, such as those in ranges including the Rocky Mountains, the Alps, the Himalayas or the Andes.

Canyons within mountains, or gorges that have an opening on only one side, are called box canyons. Slot canyons are very narrow canyons that often have smooth walls. It attains a depth of 1.

This canyon is the deepest in the world—at some points extending more than 5, meters 17, feet from top to bottom. Its depth reaches 17, feet 5, m and its length miles