Alluvial identification and geology

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• Fluvial
• Placer deposit

Sources, scope & corrections

These authoritative resources support category-level nomenclature, terminology, identification methods, and safety. When a specimen-specific safety warning appears, the public-health source listed here directly supports that precaution. They are not line-by-line citations for every other property on this entry, and natural specimens vary.

Editorial owner

GeoMiner

Last updated

2026-03-30T15:19:26.747965+00:00

Review status

Published; not independently peer-reviewed

• USGS Thesaurus — U.S. Geological Survey. Controlled earth-science terminology used to describe USGS information resources.
• Glossary of Geologic Terms — U.S. National Park Service. Geologic definitions prepared by the NPS Geologic Resources Inventory.

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Common questions

What does Alluvial mean in geology?

Pertaining to sediment deposited by flowing water, particularly by rivers and streams outside their normal channels during flood events. Alluvial deposits are typically poorly to moderately sorted, composed of gravel, sand, silt, and clay.

What is an example of Alluvial?

The alluvial gold deposits of the Klondike region in the Yukon were formed by the erosion of gold-bearing quartz veins.

Which earth-science field uses the term Alluvial?

Alluvial is used in sedimentology.

Which terms are related to Alluvial?

Related terms in this reference are Fluvial, Alluvial fan, Floodplain, Placer deposit.