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Grade 9Physical Chemistry

Could you explain the formation of deltas in baby steps?

Profile image of Lindsay Lohan
8 Years agoGrade 9
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1 Answer

Profile image of Arun
8 Years ago

When a river reaches a lake or the sea the water slows down and loses the power to carry sediment .The sediment is dropped at the mouth of the river. Some rivers drop so much sediment that waves and tides can't carry it all away. It builds up in layers forming a delta.

Some deltas are so large that people can live on them. The Nile delta is a very important farming area in Egypt.

Deltas have a fairly flat section called a delta plain that is above water. The river cuts many small channels through the delta plain. These channels are called distributaries. New sections of delta build up at the mouths of the distributaries.

The rest of the delta is under water

There is a steeply sloping delta front that faces the lake or ocean. The prodelta is furthest away from the mouth of the river and is deepest under water.

 

Regards

Arun (askIITians forum expert)