Historically, Gabions were round cages with open tops and bottoms, made from wicker and filled with earth for use as fortifications. Modern definitions include any caged riprap for erosion control, or cylindrical metal structures used to build dams or foundations. Nakhal Fort, one of the best-preserved forts in Oman. ... Riprap (also known as rip rap or shot rock) is rock or other material used to stabilize shore. ...

The most common Civil engineering use is to stabilize shore against erosion. Other uses include retaining walls, temporary floodwalls, to filter silt from runoff, and for small or temporary dams. In modern usage, civil engineering is a broad field of engineering that deals with the planning, construction, and maintenance of fixed structures, or public works, as they related to earth, water, or civilization and their processes. ... A shore, also shoreline, is the edge of a large body of water. ... Look up Erosion on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock, and so forth) by the agents of wind, water, ice, movement in response to gravity, or living organisms (in the case... A retaining wall is a structure to provide a barrier to downslope movement of soil, rock, or water. ... Scrivener Dam, Canberra Australia, was engineered to withstand a once-in-5000-years flood event A dam is a barrier across flowing water that obstructs, directs or retards the flow, often creating a reservoir, lake or impoundment. ...

Gabion baskets have some advantages over loose riprap because of their modularity and ability to be stacked in various shapes. They also have advantages over more rigid structures because they can conform to ground movement, dissipate energy from flowing water and drain freely. Their strength and effectiveness may increase with time, in some cases, as silt and vegetation fill the interstitial voids and reinforce the structure.