How are flood plain formed?

The Center for Earth and Environmental Science describes that floodplains are formed as rivers erode their own banks. Floodplains are the flat lands that lie adjacent to a river; they encompass the area that floods when the river's water level rises. read more

Floodplains are formed in two ways: by erosion; and by aggression. Erosional floodplain is created as a stream cuts deeper into its channel and laterally into its banks. Aggradational Floodplain is created when a stream lays down thick layers of sediment. read more

There are several types of floods, but every type of flood follows three principles. The first principle is that the amount of water in a given area (flood region) is too large for the region to accommodate--floods thus form when water percentages exceed capacity. read more