Unit 2: River Landscapes What are the characteristics of Meanders?

1. Unit 2:River LandscapesWhat are the characteristics of Meanders?

2. What is a MEANDER? A bend or curve in the river channel, often becoming sinuous where the loops are exaggerated.

3. What are the main processes that operate in the middle and lower course of a river? Erosion is still an important process. The river is now flowing over flatter land and so the dominant direction of erosion is lateral (from side to side). The river has a greater discharge and so has more energy to transport material. Material that is transported by a river is called its load. Deposition is also an important process and occurs when the velocity of the river decreases or if the discharge falls due to a dry spell of weather. Watch the video clip of the Rivers Teeswhich illustrates all of this.

5. Watch the video clip which illustrates this

7. Meander = a bend in a river

8. Black = erosion taking place Blue = deposition taking place Bird’s Eye On the outside of the bend, the water flows fastest with high energy. This means erosion takes place here and deepens and widens the channel. Over time this will exaggerate the bend. On this inside bend there is a lot of ‘slack’ water moving much slower with less energy (higher friction here). This means deposition happens here and material will build up here. Cross Section

9. Slip Off Slope River Cliff