Colluvium

This term is also used to specifically refer to sediment deposited at the base of a hillslope by unconcentrated surface runoff or sheet erosion.

[1][2] Colluvium is typically loosely consolidated angular material located at the base of a steep hill slope or cliff.

These accumulations of colluvium can be several meters in thickness and often contain buried soils (paleosols), crude bedding, and cut and fill sequences.

[citation needed] Thick accumulations of colluvium may preserve a rich record of long term paleoclimatic change based on the paleosols and the remains of plants and animals, invertebrate and vertebrates that they often contain.

Distinctions between the two are important in order to properly define the geomorphic processes that have occurred in a specific geological setting.