Dike or Dyke? Runnel or Waterchute?

[John]

Which is correct? Preferred?

I think dike is technically correct in geological terminology but it appears to be interchangeable too.

I simply like the word runnel and use it regularly but it is not universally understood as a rock feature though. Waterchute, chute, what else is there?

[mungeclimber]

Dike is correct.

Dyke is not.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dyke


Runnel connotes smaller. A waterchute can be larger, I would say big enough for a person at least. cf dictionary.com on the two word noun of water chute.

[John]

Wikipedia says dyke is ok.

I have had more than one person ask, "what is a runnel?"

this is  why I am inquiring about other names for this feature.

[mungeclimber]

Not seeing a clear equivocation on wiki.

dike is geology

dyke is lesbian reference, often pejorative.

[John]

Wikipedia has both:
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyke_%28geology%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dike_%28geology%29

At this point, I don't want to do too many experimental searches using either spelling if you know what I mean. The banner ads on my work computer might get a little "spicier".

I am fully aware of the slang version which is also referred to in climbing such as the dike climb Lesbian Love on Upper Phantom Spire in Tahoe.

However:

run·nel
/ˈrənl/
noun
noun: runnel; plural noun: runnels

    1. a narrow channel in the ground for liquid to flow through.

This appears to be an obscure word even in climbing.

[daniel banquo merrick]

I've known lots of dykes in my day - they are people. I've always used dike for the rock feature.

What do you call a runnel that follows a dike?

Dunnel
Dinnal
Dikel

[NateD]

However:

run·nel
/ˈrənl/
noun
noun: runnel; plural noun: runnels

    1. a narrow channel in the ground for liquid to flow through.

This appears to be an obscure word even in climbing.

I'm not sure I recall hearing the word "runnel" used in climbing before we started using it to refer to the unique water features on Lost Eagle and beyond. Maybe we had heard it somewhere. Those features just didn't seem like the more commonly referred to "grooves" or "waterchutes". Now I'm curious if the term has or had been used elsewhere, in other climbing areas, and how long ago it started. Need to look and see if it was used in the Spencer guide, or Robbin's notes, for instance. Or in descriptions of stuff in Tuolumne, or for Bart Dome or the Obelisk. Is the term seeming unique to the Shuteye Ridge area, John?

[John]

That is interesting that you say that Nate, since I think of you guys as the first people I have heard use the word regularly.

The first time I heard the word used in relation to Lost Eagle, I thought it was referring to the protruding features, not the recessed part which matches the dictionary definition better. I am really curious where the word came from now.

Weird, but I think I originally relate the word runnel as a Thai rock feature used along with the word Tufa. Maybe that is where I first heard it referred to. Other than that, the features we are referring to with the word runnel are unique to a handful of areas that I am familiar with like the Southern Sierras (Shuteye, Obelisk, Hoffman,etc) and Cochise.

Does anyone else find runnel to be perhaps too obscure of a word to be used so regularly?

[daniel banquo merrick]

Searching Google Books and Google Images for 'rock climbing runnel' seems to suggest that runnel is most often used my ice climbers for water ice that is not steep enough to be a waterfall. Searching for 'rock climbing water groove' seems to find features more like those we find in SoYo. Water grooves doesn't sound as good as runnel but might be better understood by more climbers.

[mungeclimber]

Runnel stays.

let the masses get a dictionary.

at Pinnacles, 'water streak' is more common, even when the sides of the streak curl around and form a distinct border and feature where a 'runnel of water' stays concentrated.

[NateD]

The first time I heard the word used in relation to Lost Eagle, I thought it was referring to the protruding features, not the recessed part which matches the dictionary definition better.

Those are ribs or spines. 

Then there are the fun adjectives folks have conjured up to describe the great features on SoYo rock, like:

"knobtastic"
"knobalicious"
"runnelicious"
etc.

[John]

Protruding
Rib
Spine
Fin
Arete
Knob
Dike
Tooth
Chickenhead
Plate
Ridge
Edge
Crimp
Bulge
Offset

Recessed
Runnel
Waterchute
Chute
Crack
Slot
Hole
Pocket
Recess
Groove
Cutout
Indent
Pod
Cave
Off width
Chimney
Fissure
Flare

Many, many, more than these.

[mungeclimber]

I like "LFC" for left facing corner, and "RFC" for right facing corner, then add the adjective small, larger, downward.



oh, don't forget 'eyebrow' as a protrusion-like term!

[susan]

Dish

I would say belly button, but maybe should steer clear of body part objectifications


Added later - Which is impossible... also commonly used:
Jugs
Nipple

[John]

Ha ha. If you think about it, in climbing jugs are used in a politically correct fashion since they are not "protruding" as other types of jugs are known to do! Seems to refer to a handle on a jug?.............just realized, that jugs are kind of an odd term for the feature they refer to.