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Geology & Earth Sciences vocabulary · Landforms & Surface Processes

Delta

Meaning in geology & earth sciences, with examples

/ˈdeltə/nounCommon term

In geology & earth sciences, delta means: A flat, often fan-shaped area of land built from sediment that a river deposits where it slows down on entering a sea or lake.

In Turkish: delta

How it is used

Named after the Greek letter Δ because of the shape of the Nile delta. Deltas grow, build out into the sea, or shrink when dams trap sediment upstream. In Turkey, the Kızılırmak, Göksu and Gediz deltas are important wetlands.

Example sentences

  1. The river delta is advancing into the sea by several metres a year.

  2. Since the dam was built, the delta has been losing land to the sea.

Common collocations

  • river delta
  • delta plain
  • delta front
  • the Nile delta
  • depositionThe process by which sediment carried by water, wind or ice is dropped and builds up, for example when a river slows down.
  • sedimentLoose particles such as sand, mud, gravel, shells or plant matter that are carried by water, wind or ice and settle in a new place.
  • floodplainThe flat land beside a river that is covered with water when the river floods, built up from the fine sediment the river leaves behind.
  • erosionThe removal of soil and rock fragments from one place and their transport to another by water, wind, ice or gravity.

More terms: Landforms & Surface Processes

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