v.
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.
Meanders, Owens River, near Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
© Barrie Rokeach
Aerial/Terrestrial Photography