Meanders and oxbow lakes

Meanders

As the river makes its way to the , it gains more water and therefore more energy. starts to widen the river. When the river flows over flatter land they develop large bends called .

The fast current on the outside bank causes lateral erosion, creating a river cliff. The slow current on the inside bank causes deposition, creaitng a slip-off slope.

As a river goes around a bend, most of the water is pushed towards the outside. This causes increased speed and therefore increased erosion (through and ).
The lateral erosion on the outside bend causes undercutting of the bank to form a .
Water on the inner bend is slower, causing the water to slow down and deposit the eroded material, creating a gentle slope.
The build-up of deposited sediment is known as a (or sometimes river beach).

Oxbow lakes

Due to erosion on the outside of a bend and deposition on the inside, the shape of a meander will change over a period of time. Erosion narrows the neck of the land within the meander and as the process continues, the meanders move closer together. When there is a very high (usually during a flood), the river cuts across the neck, taking a new, straighter and shorter route. Deposition will occur to cut off the original meander, leaving a horseshoe-shaped oxbow lake.

Erosion makes the neck narrow. During floods, the river takes the shortest course through the neck. The river has a new straighter course and the abandoned meander is called an oxbow lake.

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River landforms - EdexcelMeanders and oxbow lakes