PlanetGeo: The Geology Podcast

Not All Who Meander Are Lost - Meandering Streams

May 18, 2023 Chris and Jesse Season 3 Episode 17
PlanetGeo: The Geology Podcast
Not All Who Meander Are Lost - Meandering Streams
Show Notes

In this episode, we talk about meandering streams.  Why don't rivers flow in straight paths?  As soon as a river flattens out, it begins to meander.  It’s these meanders that manage the energy of the water.  How?  They really do 2 things: 1- they increase the resistance (physics) and 2- they decrease the gradient.  Essentially, the river is changing itself to minimize the energy it expends to maintain a state of equilibrium.  We also get into some detail.  Meanders are not random.  They are directly related to the width of the river and also the radius of the meander curvature.  It's a really cool aspects to river morphology.  

We also talk about things that can start meanders.  And finally, we briefly discuss one of geology's more beautiful features - entrenched meanders.  We hope you enjoy!

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