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solifluction

American  
[soh-luh-fluhk-shuhn, sol-uh-] / ˌsoʊ ləˈflʌk ʃən, ˌsɒl ə- /

noun

Geology.

  1. creep.

solifluction British  
/ ˈsəʊlɪ-, ˈsɒlɪˌflʌkʃən /

noun

  1. slow downhill movement of soil, saturated with meltwater, over a permanently frozen subsoil in tundra regions

"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

Etymology

Origin of solifluction

1915–20; < Latin sol ( um ) soil + -i- -i- + fluctiōn- a flowing (stem of fluctiō ), equivalent to fluct ( us ) ( fluctuate ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A special type of soil creep is solifluction, which is the slow movement of soil lobes on low-angle slopes due to soil repeatedly freezing and thawing in high-latitude, typically sub-Arctic, Arctic, and Antarctic locations.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

In cold environments, solifluction is a more intense form of freeze-thaw-triggered creep.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.