Alluvial Fans

An alluvial fan is formed when streams carrying large volumes of sand and gravel down
a steep mountain slope enter an adjacent valley or plain. The abrupt change in slope
causes a decrease in the speed of the stream. This change causes the stream to deposit
the sand and gravel it has been carrying. The deposited matter spreads in a gently sloping
fan-shaped mass from the mouth of the canyon onto the valley floor. The heavier, coarser
material is deposited near the mouth of the valley, while the finer material is carned out
toward the edges of the fan. Alluvial fan deposits have been found to reach depths up to
and occasionally more than about 61 m (200 ft). Fan deposits, because of the frequent
shifting of the stream channel, ordinarily contain lenticular beds or tongues of poorly
sorted sand and gravel interbedded with varying proportions of silt and clay. The particles
are subangular to angular in the fans built by streams with small drainage areas. The
particles in large fans, covering several square kilometers (miles), are generally
subangular to subrounded. Suitable aggregate is obtained from alluvial fans which are
free from thick clay lenses. In the past, the deposits were replenished during periods of
flooding until the time that flood control dams were built to control the rivers.