Lab Write-Up

The Sacramento River, a meandering river located in Northern California, appears to have changed significantly from 1998 to present day. The winding curves of the river were much more pronounced and dramatic until erosion and decomposition affected the sediment amount in the river, changing its shape. As it flows, it deposits sediment on banks that lie on the insides of curves (point bar deposits), and erode the banks on the outside of curves. The low, crescent-shaped deposit of sediment on the inside of a meander is a point bar, which is spotted several times in the river. It is a feature of erosion that shapes the river into its current form. The series of S-shaped bends are called meanders (pronounced me-AN-ders; the term comes