alluvial sediment

noun

Meaning

Loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel deposited by flowing water, typically in a riverbed, floodplain, or delta.

Examples

  • The fertile valley was formed over millennia by the accumulation of alluvial sediment deposited during seasonal river overflows.
  • Geologists analyzed the alluvial sediment to determine the historical path of the ancient river system.

Synonyms: silt, alluvium, river deposit, sediment