Deltas are complex depositional landforms that develop at the mouths of rivers. They are composed of sediment that is deposited as a river enters a standing body of water and loses forward momentum. Famous deltas include the Mississippi delta in Louisiana and the Nile delta in Egypt.

Every river flows, under the force of gravity, from its headwaters to its mouth. The mouth of a river is the location at which the river enters a standing body of water, such as a lake, sea, or the ocean. As the river enters standing water and the current is no longer confined to a channel, it spreads out, slows down, and eventually stops. The reduction in speed of the current causes the river to become unable to continue carrying suspended sediment. As sediment is deposited a series of smaller channels, called distributary channels, forms causing the shoreline to build out...