Channel pattern

Fluvial processes form several channel patterns, including:

Straight, which are found in the most tectonically incised/active areas. This is more of a hypothetical end-member, and are not often found in nature. Straight-type channels can be found at alluvial fans.
Braided rivers, which form in (tectonically active) areas that have a larger sedimentary load than the discharge of the river and a high gradient.
Meandering rivers, which form a sinuous path in a usually low-gradient plain toward the end of a fluvial system.
Anastomosed river is a rare case of a relatively straight, complicated vertical sequence of river deposits with banks held together by dense vegetation.

References

Prothero, D. R. and Schwab, F., 1996, Sedimentary Geology, pg. 137-167, ISBN 0-7167-2726-9

River morphology

Large-scale features	Drainage basin Drainage system (geomorphology) Estuary Strahler number (stream order) River valley River delta River sinuosity

Alluvial rivers	Anabranch Avulsion (river) Braided river Bar (river morphology) Channel pattern Cut bank Floodplain Meander Meander cutoff Mouth bar Oxbow lake Point bar Riffle Rapids Riparian zone River bifurcation River channel migration Slip-off slope Stream pool Thalweg

Bedrock river	Canyon Knickpoint Plunge pool

Bedforms	Ait Antidune Dune Current ripple

Regional processes	Aggradation Base level Degradation (geology) Erosion and tectonics

Mechanics	Deposition (geology) Water erosion Exner equation Hack's law Helicoidal flow Playfair's law Sediment transport

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