Meanders

Meanders in general, is a bend in a sinuous water course. It is formed when the moving water in a river erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternatively eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing then on the inside. The result, a snaking pattern as the stream meanders back and forth across its down-valley axis.

When a meander gets cut off from the main stream, an oxbow lake is formed. Over time, meanders migrate downstream, sometimes in a short period of time as to create civil engineering problems for local municipalities attempting to maintain stable roads and bridges.

~Kimberley Lim~