A meandering river is a river or stream channel that follows a winding, sinuous path across a relatively flat landscape. It forms as the flowing water erodes sediment from the outer, concave bank of a curve (called the cut bank) and deposits sediment on the inner, convex bank (called the point bar). This process causes the river to develop large loops or bends called meanders, which migrate laterally and downstream over time. The deepest and fastest flow typically occurs along the outer bank where erosion happens, while the inner bank has slower flow leading to sediment deposition. Meandering rivers have a single winding channel that increases the length of the river and decreases its slope. Eventually, the loops can become so exaggerated that the river cuts through, creating oxbow lakes from abandoned bends. These features often occur in floodplains with gentle gradients and produce dynamic landscapes important for habitats and sediment deposition. The amount of meandering can be measured by sinuosity, the ratio of channel length to straight-line valley distance, with meandering rivers having sinuosity greater than 1.5.