Meander. What features are created across a meander? Likewise, how are meanders formed? A meander is a winding curve or bend in a river. Meanders are typical landforms found in this stage of the river. Sinuosity = actual channel length / straight-line distance. The water stream erodes the external margin of the stream bed due to the higher speed in which it flows, transports the sediment and afterwards deposit it in the internal margin (where the speed of the flow is slower). The force of the water erodes and undercuts the river bank on the outside of the bend where water flow has most energy due to decreased friction. Incised meanders are meanders which are particularly well developed and occur when a river’s base level has fallen giving the river a large amount of vertical erosion power, allowing it to downcut. This is because vertical erosion is replaced by a sideways form of erosion called LATERAL erosion, plus deposition within the floodplain. The position of the curves changes over time. In large sized sediment particles, it develops as rolling and sliding; medium sized sediment particles travel through saltation; and small sized sediments particles are transported as a dissolved load or by suspension (2). Formation of Meanders. The waveform configuration of a stream is constantly changing. Geography Revision, https://geography-revision.co.uk/a-level/physical/meander/. The ability of a stream to transport particles can be described in two ways: As meandered streams are mostly found in plains, the speed of the flow is not big enough so as to carry big sized particles, which explains why landforms found in this kind of water streams are composed by thin particles. Given that the external side of the margin is actively eroded, it is called, When several processes of erosion, transport, deposition and migration of meanders occur, they are formed. They also have a very gentle slope and an elevation very close to water level. OCR GCSE Geography Past Papers As opposed to a point bar, which is an area of deposition, a cut bank is an area of erosion. OCR A Level Geography Past Papers Meanders. Normally, cut banks are nearly vertical and often expose the roots of nearby plant life. The following are processes which lead to the formation of meanders in river bodies. It is produced by a stream or river swinging from side to side as it flows across its floodplain or shifts its channel within a valley. Such meanders are called incised or entrenched meanders.The exception is that entrenched meanders are formed during the upliftment of land where river is young. The configuration given in the waveform of a current is constantly changing. How are Meanders Formed? As observed above, an entrenched river can be caused by either tectonic uplift in the area or when the lowering of the sea level occurs. This last cause leads to incised meanders (12). Accessed on May 19, 2021. https://geography-revision.co.uk/a-level/physical/meander/. This occurs on the outside of the bend and forms a. CIE IGCSE Geography They are typical of the middle and lower course of a river. The river channel has also become deeper. Once a Edexcel A Level Geography Edexcel GCSE Geography Past Papers What landforms are created by this process? Meanders and Oxbow Lakes A meander is a winding curve or bend in a river. Accessed 19 May, 2021. Meander Formation