talus
TAL-us
A field of broken rock that has fallen from the cliff above and accumulated at its base. Larger than scree — individual rocks range from grapefruit-sized to refrigerator-sized. Crossing a talus field is an exercise in choosing which rocks to trust.
Etymology
From the French talus, meaning slope or embankment, ultimately from the Latin talutium. In geology, the word narrowed to mean specifically the debris at the foot of a cliff.
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