solifluction

1 9.9

Slow downhill movement of wet soil after frozen ground melts in cold regions

noun
/ˌsɒlɪˈflʌkʃən/

: soliflucción

The solifluction process can alter landscapes significantly.

Examples

After the snow melted, evidence of solifluction could be seen in the uneven ground.
The tundra landscape was shaped by years of solifluction during seasonal thaws.
Scientists studied the effects of solifluction on the stability of mountain slopes in Alaska.
During spring, solifluction occurs as the ground thaws.
During the spring thaw, solifluction caused the topsoil to slowly creep down the hillside.
In the cold tundra, solifluction is responsible for the gradual shifting of the soil layer.
Scientists studied solifluction patterns to understand how climate change affects soil movement.

Antonyms

stability

283 3.1

Being steady and not likely to change

solid ground

17 1.8

Firm land you can stand on instead of water

How Fast

landslide

Specialized

19 3.3

mudflow

1 4.0

solifluction

1 9.9

Surface Forms

solifluction singular

solifluctions plural

Morphology

solifluction = soil + flow (opaque) = soli + fluct + ion

Although built from combining forms meaning 'soil' + 'flow', these Latin forms ('soli-' and 'fluct-') are not productive or recognisable to most learners and the term is a technical geological term.

Etymology

Solifluction comes from the Latin words solum meaning 'soil' and fluere meaning 'to flow'. So, solifluction names the slow downhill 'flow' of wet soil, especially when the ground thaws.