An alluvial fan is a fan- or cone-shaped deposit of sediment crossed and built up by streams or debris flows. These flows come from a single point source at the apex of the fan, and over time move to occupy many positions on the fan surface. Fans are typically found where a canyon draining from mountainous terrain emerges out onto a flatter plain, and especially along fault-bounded mountain fronts.
A convergence of neighboring alluvial fans into a single apron of deposits against a slope is called a bajada, or compound alluvial fan.
Read more about Alluvial Fan: Formation, In Arid Climates, In Humid Climates, Flood Hazards, Gallery
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