The Cyber-Encyclopedia

Delta

A delta is a landform where the mouth of a river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake or another river. A delta is formed only when a channel deposits sediment into another body of water. It builds up sediment outwards into the flat area which the river's flow encounters (as a deltaic deposit) transported by the water and set down as the currents slow. Deltaic deposits of larger, heavily-laden rivers are characterized by the main channel dividing amongst often substantial land masses into multiple streams known as distributaries. These divide and come together again to form a maze of active and inactive channels. This hydrogeologic formation is known as a delta. A delta can sometimes be misinterpreted as an alluvial fan. The two terms, however, are not interchangeable. A delta is formed in water and an alluvial fan occurs on land.

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