The deposition of a fan-shaped apron of sediment where a stream emerges from a confined mountain valley onto a flatter plain and abruptly loses the gradient and confinement that carried its sediment load. Repeated flood events build the fan outward and are common at the base of mountain fronts in arid and semi-arid regions.
Facts
Partially Attested
Process TypeThe source describes sediment deposition from a stream or debris flow leaving a confined channel but does not name the atlas process-type category. Connections
Sources
1. Alluvial fan (Wikipedia)
Lead paragraphQuote, Lead paragraph
Alluvial fans typically form where a flow of sediment or rocks emerge from a confined channel and are suddenly free to spread out in many directions.
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