Braided river

A river that divides into multiple shifting channels separated by sediment bars or islands. Braiding develops where sediment loads are high and banks are unstable.

Sediment transport: The movement of mineral and organic particles by water, wind, ice, or gravity. Moving sediment builds bars that divert flow into new channels.
Alluvial river: A river that flows over sediment it has deposited or reworked. Braided rivers are one channel pattern within alluvial river systems.
Meandering river: A river with a single, winding channel marked by alternating bends. Meandering rivers concentrate flow in one channel rather than dividing around bars.
Braided reach: A segment of a river characterized by multiple channels separated by sediment bars or islands. Reach-scale mapping reveals where braiding is active and how it changes.
Mid-channel bar: A deposit of sediment that forms within a river channel and divides or redirects its flow. These deposits are the shifting obstacles around which braided channels form.
Channel pattern: The plan-view arrangement of a river's channels across its valley or floodplain. Braiding is a distinct pattern defined by multiple active channels.
Anastomosing river: A river with multiple relatively stable channels separated by vegetated, floodplain islands. Its persistent channels and stable islands contrast with frequent braiding shifts.
Outwash plain: A broad deposit of sediment laid down by meltwater beyond a glacier's margin. Meltwater rivers often braid while spreading abundant glacial sediment across these plains.
Channel migration: The lateral movement of a river channel across its floodplain over time. Erosion and deposition continually relocate braided channels.
Sediment load: The amount and types of sediment carried by flowing water. High sediment loads supply the material that forms bars and islands.

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