182 



THE WORK OF RUNNING WATER 



The windings that it thus assumes on a flat valley floor are 

 roughly S-shaped and are called meanders, from the name 

 of a river in Asia Minor which was, in very ancient time, 

 noted for having such swinging curves. The size of these 

 curves will be proportional to .the size of the river. 



Great rivers like the Mississippi have a swing of several 

 miles, while a small stream may have a swing of only a 



BOTTOM LANDS 



few feet or rods. These meanders are continually chang- 

 ing their shape, owing to the cutting and filling. 



The meanders sometimes become so tortuous that thej 

 downstream side of one curve approaches the upstream 

 side of another and even cuts into it, thus causing the 

 river to desert its curved path and straighten itself at this 

 point. The old deserted winding looks something like an 

 oxbow, and when filled with water, is called an oxbow lake. 



