alluvium

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
  • On the eastern side of the escarpment near Noto Canyon is a deposit of sediment reaching up to 800 meters thick.
    Elizabeth Fernandez, Big Think, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Dams hold back sediment that would normally flow to the coast.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • But after weeks of staring at bare ground, a few green shoots pushed through the dark silt.
    Lila Hempel-Edgers, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2025
  • For millennia, the Nile's predictable annual floods deposited nutrient-rich silt on its banks, enabling agriculture to flourish in an arid landscape and giving rise to one of history's most enduring civilizations.
    Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • When blown by the wind, these sediments are referred to as loess.
    Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 2 Sep. 2021
  • The windblown loess soil comprises freshwater sedimentary topsoil resting over fractured basalt subsoil.
    Michael Alberty | For The Oregonian/OregonLive, oregonlive, 4 June 2020
Noun
  • The avalanche temporarily dammed the Lonza River, which runs through Blatten, and small lakes, filled with dead trees and detritus from homes, formed on each side of the village.
    Daniel A. Gross, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2025
  • But its detritus remains, giving rise to streaks that wow sky watchers every August.
    Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 11 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Elements like wicker baskets, wooden benches, or clay planters bring warmth and organic texture to any porch, says Paxton.
    Lauren Jones, Southern Living, 4 Sep. 2025
  • The club has no intention of converting any of its 12 green clay tennis courts to pickleball.
    Ethan Singer, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Alluvium.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alluvium. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on alluvium

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!