mudflow

[ muhd-floh ]

/ ˈmʌdˌfloʊ /

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noun Geology.

a flow of mixed earth debris containing a large amount of water.

the dried-out product of such a flow.

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Also called mud slide, mud·spate

[muhd-speyt]. /ˈmʌdˌspeɪt/.

Origin of mudflow

First recorded in 1900–05; mud + flow

Words nearby mudflow

mudeye, mudfat, mud fever, mudfish, mud flat, mudflow, mud gecko, mudguard, mud hen, mudhole, mudir

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use mudflow in a sentence

The fossilization process starts with storm-induced mudflows that sweep up the delicate animals and bury them in the seafloor in low oxygen conditions.
Ancient Brains: Inside the Extraordinary Preservation of a 310-Million-Year-Old Nervous System|John Paterson|July 30, 2021|Singularity Hub
Seattle is partly built on one such mudflow, created only several thousand years ago.
Jindal's Eruption of Hot Gas|Benjamin Sarlin|February 25, 2009|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for mudflow

mudflow

/ (ˈmʌdˌfləʊ) /

noun

geology a flow of soil or fine-grained sediment mixed with water down a steep unstable slope

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for mudflow

mudflow

[ mŭd′flō′ ]

A downhill movement of soft, wet, unconsolidated earth and debris, made fluid by rain or melted snow and often building up great speed.