The Formation of a Meander

Sometimes I find poems helpful for remembering things! So here's one I wrote about meanders, which includes lots of key geographical words you should be using to describe them!

Rivers always take the path of least resistance

Winding round obstacles into the distance

Even in straight channels bars of sediment seem to form

Alternating deep and shallow sections is the norm’

At alternating intervals of 5-7 times the bend*

The bars deposited when low flow conditions tend

Riffles and pools are they names these features go by

Weaving in between then, the thalweg must comply.

Riffles will reduce the river’s efficiency

Slowed by friction the water has no energy

To carry its load, so it drops it right there

Forming what’s known as a slip-off slope or point bar

While the inner bend is built up by deposition

On the outer bend the river’s flowing fast with a mission

The high hydraulic radius in pools is the reason for

Undercutting by abrasion and hydraulic action more.

This process is perpetuated by helicoidal flow

A corkscrew like movement about which you need to know!

This erodes the river cliff of one meander’s outer bend

Depositing downstream in the next one’s inner bend

As these processes continue the meander slowly migrates

Moving both laterally and downstream at a steady rate.

* 5-7 times the width of the channel – I wrote ‘bend’ because width’ didn’t rhyme!