A stream consisting of successive meanders. Meandering streams develop in relatively flat areas, such as a floodplain, and where sediment consists primarily of fine sands, silts, and muds.
After the basic river course is formed, water on the outer side of a bend tends to run faster and wash away the soil, while on the inner side of the bend, the water runs slowly and tends to deposit soil. This process accentuates the bends and culminates in the snakelike, curving river path known as a meander. What is the meaning of meanders?
Meandering channels curve very strongly, with a sinuosity of 1.5 or more (although sources differ on the exact number). Braided channels split and rejoin, like the braids in hair or a rope. The top end of a stream, where its flow begins, is its source. The bottom end is its mouth. In between, the stream flows through its main course or trunk.
verb (used without object) to proceed by or take a winding or indirect course: The stream meandered through the valley.
A meandering stream has a single channel that winds snakelike through its valley, so that the distance 'as the stream flows' is greater than 'as the crow flies. ' As water flows around these curves, the outer edge of water is moving faster than the inner.
A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank (cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex bank which is typically a point bar.
Examples of Modern Meandering River Systems Sacramento River, CA. Owens River, CA. Note the different generations of old meanders. As the channel migrates, parts of it may become abandoned and left behind as Oxbow Lakes.
A meander is when water flows in a curvy, bendy path, like a snake. As a river makes its way through an area that is relatively flat, it often develops bends as it erodes its way through the path of least resistance.
A meander is a bend in a river channel. Meanders form when water in the river erodes the banks on the outside of the channel. The water deposits sediment on the inside of the channel. Meanders only occur on flat land where the river is large and established. Meander.
"Meandering" generally occurs in streams with moderate slopes and is a common form of river between canyon-bound rivers in the mountains and deltas near the ocean. The physics and geology of meandering streams combine to yield both shallow portions as well as deeper pools.
1 : to follow a winding or intricate course across the ceiling meandered a long crack— John Galsworthy. 2 : to wander aimlessly or casually without urgent destination : ramble he meandered with the sightseers gawping at the boat people— John le Carré
The formation of a meander. As the river erodes laterally, to the right side then the left side, it forms large bends, and then horseshoe-like loops called meanders . The formation of meanders is due to both deposition and erosion and meanders gradually migrate downstream.
A meandering stream migrates laterally by sediment erosion on the outside of the meander (that is part of the friction work), and deposition on the inside (helicoidal flow, deceleration, channel lag, point bar sequence, fining upwards).
Unlike mountain streams which exist in deep valleys, lowland meandering rivers have lots of flat, open space surrounding them, and the river itself makes big horseshoe shaped bends called meanders.
How does a braided stream differ from a meandering stream? A braided stream have numerous, subparallel braided channel strands. A meandering stream consists of a single highly sinuous channel. Thus, during normal flow, the sediment settles out and the channel becomes choked with sediment.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
But the people from Valley Stream had such a thick New York accent that was all around me.
A meandering stream migrates laterally by sediment erosion on the outside of the meander (that is part of the friction work), and deposition on the inside ( helicoidal flow , deceleration, channel lag, point bar sequence, fining upwards). Adjacent to the channel levee deposits build up, and gradually raise up the river over the floodplain (mainly fine sediments). If the climate is humid the floodplain area beyond the levees may be covered with water most of the time, and may form a swamp ( backswamp ). Rivers that want to enter the main stream may not make it up the levee, and empty either into the backswamp (filing it up gradually) or flow parallel to the stream for a long distance until they finally join ( yazoo streams ). Meanders may cut into each other as they grow ( neck cutoffs ), and then the river shortcuts (growing meanders reduce the slope, cutoffs are a means to increase the slope again, feedback loop) and the old meander is abandoned and slowly fills with fine sediment during floods ( oxbow lakes ). Also, as a river builds up its levees and raises itself over the floodplain, the slope and the transport power of the stream decrease, the channel fills gradually with sediment, and finally (often during a flood) the river will breach its levee (this process is called avulsion ) and follow a steeper path down the valley.
How meanders grow laterally through erosion (outside bend) and sediment deposition (inside bend, point bar). When the loops get too large and consume too much energy (friction), the river will eventually find a less energetically "taxing" shortcut, and a part of the old channel will be abandoned and becomes an oxbow lake.
Also, as a river builds up its levees and raises itself over the floodplain, the slope and the transport power of the stream decrease, the channel fills gradually with sediment, and finally (often during a flood) the river will breach its levee (this process is called avulsion ) and follow a steeper path down the valley.
our editorial process. Andrew Alden. Updated March 29, 2019. A stream is any body of running water that occupies a channel. It is normally above ground, eroding the land that it flows over and depositing sediment as it travels. A stream can, however, be located underground or even underneath a glacier .
A stream's order is determined by the number of tributaries that flow into it. First-order streams have no tributaries. Two first-order streams combine to make a second-order stream; two second-order streams combine to make a third-order stream, and so on.
The deepest part of the channel, the route taken by the last (or first) bit of water, is called the thalweg (TALL-vegg, from the German for "valley way"). The sides of the channel, along the edges of the stream, are its banks. A stream channel has a right bank ...
The land around a stream is a valley. Valleys come in all sizes and have a variety of names, just like streams. The smallest streams, rills, run in tiny channels also called rills. Rivulets and runnels run in gullies.
Straight channels are linear or nearly so, with a sinuosity of nearly 1. Sinuous channels curve back and forth. Meandering channels curve very strongly, with a sinuosity of 1.5 or more (although sources differ on the exact number). Braided channels split and rejoin, like the braids in hair or a rope.
Characteristics of Streams. Streams may be permanent or intermittent— occurring only part of the time. So you could say that the most important part of a stream is its channel or streambed, the natural passage or depression in the ground that holds the water. The channel is always there even if no water is running in it.
The area of water around a river mouth where seawater mixes with freshwater is called an estuary .
Learn More About These Powerful Words From Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr was an iconic civil rights activist and magnificent orator. Honor his legacy by examining some of his most powerful words.
Though conversational and often witty, his meander ing phrases become increasingly unpredictable as they develop.