A beheaded stream is a stream or river that has been diverted or cut off from its original source due to geological processes such as faulting, volcanic activity, or glaciation. This can result in a dry riverbed or a stream with reduced flow. Beheaded streams provide evidence of past geological events and are studied to understand landscape evolution and the effects of tectonic activity.
Source Summerfield, M. A. (1991). Global Geomorphology. Longman Scientific & Technical.