depositional terrace

geology

Learn about this topic in these articles:

floodplain

In river: Origin of river terraces
In depositional terraces, however, the origin of the now abandoned floodplain is much less significant than the long-term episode of valley filling that preceded the final embellishment of the tread. The thickness of valley-fill deposits is much greater than anything that could be produced by vertical…
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river terrace

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river terrace

geology

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Related Topics:: erosional terrace; depositional terrace; tread; paired terrace; rock-cut terrace

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river terrace, bench or step that extends along the side of a valley and represents a former level of the valley floor. A terrace results from any hydrological or climatic shift that causes renewed downcutting. It generally has a flat top made up of sedimentary deposits and a steep fore edge, and it may be the remains of an old floodplain, cut through by the river and left standing above the present floodplain level. Another type of terrace is cut into bedrock and may have a thin veneer of alluvium, or sedimentary deposits. In paired terraces, the terrace features on each side of a valley correspond.