Illustration of alluvial fan
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
Examples of alluvial fan in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The expansion of Tehran has also proven disastrous, with asphalt and concrete sealing the Alborz foothill alluvial fans, preventing rain, runoff, and snowmelt from refilling Tehran’s aquifers.
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Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 20 Nov. 2025
Roughly the size of the state of Connecticut, the freshwater Okavango Delta opens into an enormous alluvial fan that stretches up to 5,800 square miles (15,000 square km) into the Kalahari Desert.
—Jessica Beaudette, The Conversation, 11 Oct. 2025
To Kalon Vineyard sits on an alluvial fan on the western side of Oakville.
—Tom Hyland, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Its surface is stamped with ocean and sea basins and etched with ancient riverbeds, deltas, and alluvial fans.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
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
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Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 20 Nov. 2025
Roughly the size of the state of Connecticut, the freshwater Okavango Delta opens into an enormous alluvial fan that stretches up to 5,800 square miles (15,000 square km) into the Kalahari Desert.
—Jessica Beaudette, The Conversation, 11 Oct. 2025
To Kalon Vineyard sits on an alluvial fan on the western side of Oakville.
—Tom Hyland, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Its surface is stamped with ocean and sea basins and etched with ancient riverbeds, deltas, and alluvial fans.
—Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Alluvial fan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alluvial%20fan. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.
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