Bajada (geography)

A bajada consists of a series of coalescing alluvial fans along a mountain front. These fan-shaped
deposits form from the deposition of sediment within a stream onto flat land at the base of a
mountain.
[1]

Formation and occurrence[edit]
When a stream flows downhill it picks up sediment along with other materials, as that stream
emerges from a mountain front the sediment begins to deposit. The coarser sediment falls out
closest to the base and the finer sediment grades outwards and deposits in a fan-shape away from
the mountain face.
[2]
The sediment is transported across a pediment into a closed basin where the
bajadas grade back into a pediment, making the boundary difficult to distinguish. Bajadas frequently
contain playa lakes.
[3]
Bajadas are common in dry climates (i.e. the Southwestern US) where flash
floods deposit sediment over time. Though they are also common in wetter climates where streams
are nearly continuously depositing sediment.
[2]