alluvium

Definition of alluviumnext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of alluvium The tunnel will traverse multiple difficult subsoil layers: a surface of historical and active landfill materials, including spoil from London tunneling projects and decades-old power station fly ash, a thick layer of alluvium composed of silts, clays, and peat, and, finally, highly variable chalk. Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 July 2025 At some point, alluvium buried the entire tusk, possibly from major storm flooding. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2024 The tusk was covered with alluvium, possibly during a major flooding event, MDEQ said. Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2024 These waters carried debris called alluvium, that makes up the Delta's fertile soil. Richard Mason, Arkansas Online, 23 May 2021 Scott traces their advent to a few hundred years later, in a constellation of cities that sprang up on the Mesopotamian alluvium around what was then the northern end of the Persian Gulf. Tim Flannery, The New York Review of Books, 12 Mar. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alluvium
Noun
  • As a secondary benefit, the sediment removed is used to widen Oceanside beaches.
    Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
  • The study also showed that sediment accumulated at an average rate of just over four centimeters per thousand years, allowing researchers to align individual rock layers with specific orbital cycles.
    Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • These rivers shaped the story of California — a sense of place — from the native peoples shaped by these rivers to the men who extracted riches from the silt.
    Sacramento Bee staff, Sacbee.com, 8 Jan. 2026
  • This stretch of the Great Hungarian Plain was once the nation’s breadbasket, a lush expanse of silt and soil regularly replenished by the flooding of the Danube and Tisza rivers.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 30 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • Many fatalities were linked to the collapse of yaodongs—homes carved into loess hillsides.
    Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
  • When blown by the wind, these sediments are referred to as loess.
    Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 2 Sep. 2021
Noun
  • Mazzei explains that Il Caggio features a combination of factors ideal for Sangiovese, including altitudes between 1,050 and 1,150 feet, which ensure balanced ripening, and deep and well-drained clay, schist, and calcareous marl soils dotted with a type of sandstone that imparts intense minerality.
    Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 14 Dec. 2025
  • In Friuli Venezia Giulia, the soils are rich in marl and sandstone, locally referred to as ponca.
    Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
Noun
  • Automotive detritus Does your car need to be cleaned out?
    The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2026
  • The detritus of a Bronze Age ship can tell us about the people on board and the routes taken by these intrepid travelers over 3,000 years ago.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Kitty litter is typically a mix of clay and other minerals.
    Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Jan. 2026
  • Mineral pigments and kaolin clay add believable volume without stiffness, thanks to panthenol that conditions each hair.
    Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 22 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Alluvium.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alluvium. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.

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