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Diluvium identification and geology

An obsolete geological term formerly used to describe surficial deposits of gravel, sand, and clay attributed to catastrophic flooding—originally the Biblical Deluge. The term was widely used in the 18th and early 19th centuries before Louis Agassiz proposed in 1840 that these deposits were of glacial origin glacial drift and till . It is now of purely historical interest in the history of geological thought. Field: glacial geology. Example: William Buckland's 1823 work Reliquiae Diluvianae attributed cave deposits and surficial gravels to the Noachian Flood—deposits now understood as glacial till and outwash from the Pleistocene ice ages.. Related terms: Till, Drift, Catastrophism, Uniformitarianism.

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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
2026-03-30T15:19:42.127987+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 Diluvium mean in geology?
An obsolete geological term formerly used to describe surficial deposits of gravel, sand, and clay attributed to catastrophic flooding—originally the Biblical Deluge. The term was widely used in the 18th and early 19th centuries before Louis Agassiz proposed in 1840 that these deposits were of glacial origin glacial drift and till . It is now of purely historical interest in the history of geological thought.
What is an example of Diluvium?
William Buckland's 1823 work Reliquiae Diluvianae attributed cave deposits and surficial gravels to the Noachian Flood—deposits now understood as glacial till and outwash from the Pleistocene ice ages.
Which earth-science field uses the term Diluvium?
Diluvium is used in glacial geology.
Which terms are related to Diluvium?
Related terms in this reference are Till, Drift, Catastrophism, Uniformitarianism.

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