Plural of colluvium; deposits of rock, soil, and other material that have moved down a slope due to gravity, without water transport.
Plural of Latin 'colluvium' (material washed together), from 'col-' (together) + 'luere' (to wash). In geology, this Latin term was adopted to distinguish gravity-moved deposits from water-eroded ones.
Geologists distinguish between 'colluvium' (stuff that slides down slopes under gravity) and 'alluvium' (stuff moved by water), and this distinction matters for understanding landslide hazards and archaeological site formation.
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