alluvial fan

noun

: 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

Illustration of alluvial fan

Examples of alluvial fan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Using a helicopter equipped with a ground-penetrating electromagnetic imaging system, scientists have scanned up to 1,000 feet underground to map optimal areas for recharging aquifers — including channels left by ancient rivers that lie hidden beneath alluvial fans in the valley. Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024 The Alluvium Vineyard is an alluvial fan, spreading out from an old sedimentary riverbed in the shape of a broad triangle. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 27 Oct. 2024 Some of the same natural features that visitors drive out to see — such as desert canyons and alluvial fans — were formed during flood events, National Park Service officials wrote online. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2023 The ginkgo leaf shapes of alluvial fans spread at mountains’ feet. Maggie Shipstead Anthony Cotsifas, New York Times, 10 May 2023 It’s meant to protect the plants and animals in the unique alluvial fan sage scrublands, where white sage is a keystone plant, critical for the survival of other species. Jeanette Marantosstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2022 In a new study, scientists have for the first time produced a detailed map of one of these paleovalleys, located on the Kings River alluvial fan between Fresno and Selma. Ian Jamesstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2022 Perched on a broad alluvial fan dotted with rabbitbrush and Joshua trees, this ragtag community of artists, misanthropes and urban refugees has little time for politicians. Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2022 According to the California Department of Water Resources, the state experiences many types of flooding, including alluvial fan, riverine, coastal, flash, and localized floods, as well as debris flows and tsunamis. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of alluvial fan was in 1862

Dictionary Entries Near alluvial fan

Cite this Entry

“Alluvial fan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alluvial%20fan. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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