MIDDLE COURSE OF THE

RIVER
By: Bridget Sequea
Ariel John
 Middle Course

 The middle course of a river has more energy and

volume then in the upper course. The gradient is
more gentle and lateral (sideways) erosion has
widened the channel. The river channel has also
become deeper. Meanders and oxbow lakes are
typical landforms found in this stage of the river.
Picture of the middle course
 Meanders

 A meander is a winding curve or bent of a river.

 A meander is formed by both deposition and erosion.
 The force of the water erodes and undercuts the river
bank on the outside of the bend where water flow
has most energy due to decreased friction.
 On the inside of the bend, where the river flow is
slower, material is deposited, as there is more
friction.
Pictures of Meanders
 Oxbow Lake

 An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake that forms when a

wide meander of a river is cut off, creating a free-
standing body of water.
 Formation of an Oxbow Lake

1. On the inside of the loop, the river travels more slowly

leading to deposition of silt
2. Meanwhile water on the outside edges tends to flow
faster, which erodes the banks making the meander
even wider.
3. Over time the loop of the meander widens until the
neck vanishes altogether
4. Then the meander is removed from the river's current
and the horseshoe shaped oxbow lake is formed.
Diagram of the formation of the
Oxbow Lake
A picture of a Oxbow Lake
 Braided Steams

 A stream consisting of multiple small, shallow

channels that divide and recombine numerous times
forming a pattern resembling the strands of a braid.
Braided streams form where the sediment load is so
heavy that some of the sediments are deposited as
shifting islands or bars between the channels.
Pictures of a Braided Steam