Why does the Mississippi River meander?

The lower Mississippi has long been a classic example of a meandering alluvial river. Meandering is caused by hydraulic factors such as flow in channel and the underlying flood plain. As the sediments accumulates,elevation increases and the channel becomes shallow ,so the river meanders. read more

Meanders are twists and turns in a river flow. The Mississippi River has meanders because of the way the water eroded the edge of the land. read more

The modern river course is superimposed on channels from 1880 (green), 1820 (red), and 1765 (blue). Even earlier, prehistoric channels underlie the more recent patterns. An oxbow lake—a crescent of water left behind when a meander (bend in the river) closes itself off—remains from 1785. read more