Hobbies And Interests
Shape
The delta was given its name by Greek historian Herodotus, who named the landform after the Greek letter "delta" after he noticed the triangle-shaped mouth of the Nile River. A delta is usually in the shape of a triangle, narrow at first then widening as it approaches the mouth of the larger body of water. Sometimes deltas are referred to as "bird's feet," because the shape of a delta can also resemble the three-toed foot of a chicken.
What It Connects
A delta can be distinguished from other bodies of water, such as a strait, by what it connects. Deltas form where a river flows into some larger body of water. Typically, deltas empty into shallower bodies of water such as a sea or gulf, but some deltas do empty into the ocean. This connection also implies that the water is flowing, distinguishing it from swamps or marshes.
Location
Deltas are found on every continent except Antarctica. Deltas also are not found along tectonic plates. Because it takes a long time for a delta to form, tectonic activity along the coastline would disrupt any sediment buildup and prevent a delta from forming. Deltas are found at the mouths of large rivers that have been around for a long time.
Soil
The makeup of the soil at a delta may be different than that of the surrounding soil. Deltas are formed when rivers carry soil, rock and other sediments down the river. Therefore, the sediment in a delta is more likely to resemble soil upstream than match the local soil. Other bodies of water, like canals dug into the ground, do not share this characteristic.