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Geology & Earth Sciences vocabulary · Landforms & Surface Processes

Floodplain

Meaning in geology & earth sciences, with examples

/ˈflʌdpleɪn/nounCommon term

In geology & earth sciences, floodplain means: The flat land beside a river that is covered with water when the river floods, built up from the fine sediment the river leaves behind.

In Turkish: taşkın ovası, taşkın düzlüğü

How it is used

Floodplains have fertile soils and are often farmed or built on, which increases flood risk. Geologists study floodplain deposits, and planners prepare floodplain maps. It is also written 'flood plain'.

Example sentences

  1. New houses on the floodplain were badly damaged in the spring floods.

  2. The floodplain is covered with fine silt and clay.

Common collocations

  • floodplain deposits
  • river floodplain
  • build on the floodplain
  • floodplain map
  • deltaA flat, often fan-shaped area of land built from sediment that a river deposits where it slows down on entering a sea or lake.
  • 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.
  • drainage basinThe whole area of land from which rainwater and snowmelt flow into one river and its tributaries, separated from neighbouring basins by higher ground.

More terms: Landforms & Surface Processes

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