Meanders

          Rivers rarely maintain a straight route as they travel to larger rivers, lakes or oceans -- most make a series of bends and smooth loops that snake across the landscape. The bends, known as meanders, reflect the way in which a river minimizes resistance to flow and spreads energy as evenly as possible along its course. If something is in the way of a stream or river it has to go round it for example a tree or a rock. After this first bend, the river hits the outside of the bend with more and more force to erode the riverbank and enlarge the meander.

       The eroded material is deposited on the inside of the bend. Velocity is greater on the outside of the meander and slower on the inside. The pattern of erosion and deposition varies in the meander, because velocity is faster on the outside of the meander, which enables the water to have more force in eroding material. Velocity is slowest on the inside of the meander, as there is greater friction, because the water is shallower. This means that the river can not carry its load so effectively and is forced to deposit it.

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