Dedication -- Thanks -- Preface -- 1 Definitions and Setting -- 2 Magnitude and Sourcing -- 3 Slope Gradients -- 4 Fan Morphometry -- 5 Drainage -- 6 Flows -- 7 Aggradation -- 8 Fan Entrenchment -- 9 Textural and Facies Characteristics -- 10 Pedogenic Processes -- 11 The Tectonic Control -- 12 The Climatic Control -- 13 the Base Level Effect -- 14 Groundwater -- 15 Morphology of the Fan Surface -- 16 Dating of Alluvial Fans -- 17 The System Approach -- 18 Natural Hazards -- 19 The Regional Approach (Alluvial Fans along the Dead Sea-Arava Rift Valley).This book offers a comprehensive overview of the alluvial fan phenomena, including all terminology, morphology, sedimentology, controlling factors, processes and the human impact. It combines the knowledge dispersed widely in existing literature with regional case studies, color figures and photographs. The chapters provide a useful basis to understand alluvial fans and a selection of papers attached to each chapter offers additional, more focused reading. This volume is aimed at engineers, planners and especially students in earth sciences. .