Talk:Colluvium

I am thinking about re-writng parts of the colluvium page.

In Germany the term Colluvium is used for deposits that have moved downslope by gravity but most importantly by water.

Alluvium in british geology is the deposit of a floodplain, eg a overbank deposit. Colluvium is teh deposit in dry valleys, mainly the rsult of flash floods and the resulting erosion of topsoil, in particular during the middle ages when large parts of the countryside were left barren, after harvesting.

The latin origin of the term is:

a collection of washings, dregs, from colluere, to wash thoroughly

I therefore would argue that the movement of water is teh main agent in the formation of colluvium.

Any thoughts anyone?

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The reason I visted this page was to help me understand a natural hazard map that shows a wedge of talus sitting on a wedge of colluvium, as well as 5 different kind of alluvial deposits (including alluvial fans, alluvial terraces and modern stream channel alluvium). Meanwhile, my Penguin Dictionary of Geology defines colluvium as "see scree".150.131.128.69 (talk) 21:37, 26 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

There could numerous factors involved in the formation of colluvium. Nivation, freeze-thaw cycling, weakness in adhesion, slope/dip of various soil and rock layers could all be factors in addition to water. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.241.26.14 (talk) 15:29, 4 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]