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A meander is a curve in a river. Meanders form a snake-like pattern as the river flows across a fairly flat valley floor. The position of the curves changes over time. Meanders were named for a river in Anatolia.
A river rarely flows in a straight line: it bends around because it drops sediment where it flows most slowly. There are areas of slower and faster water movement. The river flows faster on the outside of a curve, and the fast water erodes the outside bends of a river channel by hydraulic action and abrasion. This forms a river cliff. The river flows more slowly on the inside of the river beach. The slower water drops sediment.
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