What is a meander?

• A. A straight section of a river
• B. A curve in a river is known as a meander
• C. A river delta
• D. A waterfall

Answer: (B)

A meander is a curve in a river channel. It forms because the current is faster on the outside of a bend, eroding the outer bank, while sediment is deposited on the inside of the bend where velocity is slower, creating and amplifying the bend over time. This combination makes rivers follow a winding path, and the bends can migrate downstream. Meanders can eventually become oxbow lakes when a flood cuts through the neck of a bend, severing the old meander from the main channel. The other options describe different river features: a straight section lacks a pronounced bend, a river delta forms at the mouth where sediment is deposited as the river enters another body of water, and a waterfall is a vertical drop in the river profile.