meanders
Meanders are typical landforms found in the middle course of the river. A meander is a winding curve or bend in a river. They are mostly found I the Middle and Lower course of a river.
Formation
Water never flows in a straight line even in an apparently straight river channel. Water twists and turns around stones, rocks and pebbles and other obstructions resulting in areas of slower and faster water movements. Slower areas are found in deeper parts of the river filled with fine sediments and are called pools, Faster areas are found in shallower parts of the river around larger stones and are called as Riffles.
The river starts to flow from side to side in a winding course but still in a relatively straight channel. The pools tend to move to opposite sides of the channel over time and this is where the meander develops.
Overtime, this means that erosion occurs on the outside of meander bends and deposition occurs on the inside, this process can lead to formation of the Oxbow lakes.
Oxbow Lakes
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water that forms when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. This landform is so named for its distinctive curved shape, resembling the bow pin of an oxbow.
An oxbow lake forms when a river creates a meander, due to the river's eroding the bank through hydraulic action, abrasion and erosion. After a long period of time, the meander becomes very curved, and eventually the neck of the meander becomes narrower and the river cuts through the neck during a flood, cutting off the meander and forming an oxbow lake.
An oxbow lake forms when a river creates a meander, due to the river's eroding the bank through hydraulic action, abrasion and erosion. After a long period of time, the meander becomes very curved, and eventually the neck of the meander becomes narrower and the river cuts through the neck during a flood, cutting off the meander and forming an oxbow lake.
As meander continue to take a longer and wider course, the neck (between the two curves) becomes shorter and shorter, as a result of the meander’s continued expansion as it pushes against the far ends and deposits on the inside of the bend. The neck soon breaks open allowing water to take a straight path instead of using the curved one. Soon, deposits cut of the curved path from the rest of the river, making a crescent shaped lake called an ox-bow lake.
This usually takes place when the load the river carries is so much that it drops some in the form of small and occasionally temporary hills, with the water creating a moat around it, giving the impression of braids. Also, when water encounters harder rocks, it leads to the same result of water diverting around the hill.
This usually takes place when the load the river carries is so much that it drops some in the form of small and occasionally temporary hills, with the water creating a moat around it, giving the impression of braids. Also, when water encounters harder rocks, it leads to the same result of water diverting around the hill.