alluvial

Etymology

From Latin alluvius (“alluvial”), from alluviō (“an overflowing, inundation”), from alluō (“wash against”). Analyzable as alluvium + -ial

adj

  1. Pertaining to the soil deposited by a stream.
    Soils are a prominent feature of floodplain environments, and we include them in this section because most of the available information on ancient soils pertains to alluvial examples, aside from those in Quaternary-Recent time. 1992, Anna K. Behrensmeyer, Robert W. Hook, “Paleoenvironmental Contexts and Taphonomic Modes”, in Terrestrial Ecosystems through Time, page 35

noun

  1. (countable) A deposition of sediment over a long period of time by a river; an alluvial layer.
  2. Alluvial soil; specifically, in Australia, gold-bearing alluvial soil.

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