what is a meander

A meander is a bend or curve in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is formed as the watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank and deposits sediments on an inner, convex bank, which is typically a point bar. This coupled erosion and sedimentation results in the formation of a sinuous course as the stream moves back and forth across the landscape. The zone within which a meandering stream periodically shifts its channel is known as a meander belt. A meander cutoff, also known as either a cutoff meander or abandoned meander, is a meander that has been abandoned by its stream after the formation of a neck cutoff. A lake that occupies a cutoff meander is known as an oxbow lake.