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Alluvial vs Floodplain - What's the difference?

alluvial | floodplain |

As nouns the difference between alluvial and floodplain

is that alluvial is a deposition of sediment over a long period of time by a river; an alluvial layer while floodplain is an alluvial plain that may or may not experience occasional or periodic flooding.

As an adjective alluvial

is pertaining to the soil deposited by a stream.

alluvial

English

Adjective

(-)
  • Pertaining to the soil deposited by a stream.
  • * 1992 , Anna K. Behrensmeyer & Robert W. Hook, "Paleoenvironmental Contexts and Taphonomic Modes" in, Terrestrial Ecosystems through Time , page 35.
    • 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.

    Synonyms

    * fluvial

    Derived terms

    * alluvial fan * alluvially * alluvial plain

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A deposition of sediment over a long period of time by a river; an alluvial layer.

    • Usage notes

    * The noun is normally used in the plural by engineers who recover valuable minerals from these layers.

    Related terms

    * alluvium

    See also

    * deltaic ----

    floodplain

    English

    Noun

    (flood plain) (en noun)
  • (geography) An alluvial plain that may or may not experience occasional or periodic flooding.

    • See also

    * alluvial plain