mudflow
/ˈməd-ˌflō/ (ame, mw)
mudflow — noun
1. a thick, fast-moving river of earth and water that pours down a hillside after h
a thick, fast-moving river of earth and water that pours down a hillside after heavy rain or rapid snowmelt, often sweeping away trees, vehicles, and houses in its path
After three days of heavy rain, a mudflow buried the road leading into Dewi's village.
collocation: heavy rain triggers a mudflow
Yuki's grandfather watched in horror as the mudflow swept his orchard down the mountainside.
pattern: a mudflow swept [object] down [place]
Rescue teams searched for survivors after the mudflow crushed several homes near the river.
The geology professor showed photos of a mudflow that destroyed a coffee farm in Colombia.
Engineers built concrete walls on the slope to stop any future mudflow from reaching the town.
- landslide
broader term — includes dry rock and earth movements, not only water-saturated soil
- mudslide
near-synonym, more common in journalism; mudflow is preferred in geology for the fluid, fast-moving type
- debris flow
technical term used when the moving mass contains large rocks and tree trunks as well as mud
文法句型
a mudflow of [material]
a mudflow swept down/across [place]
用法筆記
Subject is usually weather or terrain (heavy rain, melting snow, a saturated slope); object is usually what the mudflow destroys (roads, homes, farmland). Often appears in disaster reports rather than everyday speech.