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shoal
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Sand shoals in the turquoise waters of the Brahmaputra River, with dry grasses in the foreground and rugged mountains in the background, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. Tallapoosa River
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Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) River: shoals
Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) River: shoals Shoals in the Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) River, Tibet Autonomous Region, China.

shoal

geology
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History

shoal, accumulation of sediment in a river channel or on a continental shelf that is potentially dangerous to ships. On the continental shelf it is conventionally taken to be less than 10 m (33 feet) below water level at low tide. Shoals are formed by essentially the same factors that produce offshore bars. See sandbar.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.