alluvial fan
nounDefinition of alluvial fan
: the alluvial deposit of a stream where it issues from a gorge upon a plain or of a tributary stream at its junction with the main stream
Illustration of alluvial fan
Examples of alluvial fan in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Although the shaking was less intense, Trona’s location on soft sediments that have eroded off a mountainside — known as an alluvial fan — caused the ground to act like quicksand, O’Dell said. — Rong-gong Lin Ii, latimes.com, "Ridgecrest earthquake mystery: Why so little destruction from huge temblors?," 10 July 2019 Yet the planet's rusty rocks record a past flush with water; deep valleys carve through a landscape speckled with dry lake beds, alluvial fans, and smooth river pebbles. — National Geographic, "Rivers may have flowed on Mars for longer than anyone realized," 27 Mar. 2019 From mid-February to mid-April, the bloom can best be seen at lower elevations on alluvial fans and foothills. — Diana Bruk, Country Living, "A Rare "Superbloom" Is Blanketing Death Valley With Wildflowers," 17 Feb. 2016 Of greater concern is the placement of houses and other structures on the alluvial fans where streams have been depositing sediment and rapidly changing their course over many thousands of years. — Lee Macdonald, Washington Post, "Those deadly mudslides you’ve read about? Expect worse in the future.," 20 Jan. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'alluvial fan.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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