meander (redirected from Meander (geography))

meander

Meanders, Owens River, near Mammoth Lakes, Calif.

(credit: © Barrie Rokeach—Aerial/Terrestrial Photography)

Extreme U-bend in a stream, usually occurring in a series, that is caused by flow characteristics of the water. Meanders form in stream-deposited sediments and may stack up upstream of an obstruction, resulting in a gooseneck or extremely bowed meander. A cutoff may form through the gooseneck and allow the former meander bend to be sealed off as an oxbow lake. Silt deposits may eventually fill the lake to form a marsh or a meander scar.