Braided channel

Geography glossary

Also called: Braided stream · Topic: Landforms and their Evolution: Rivers, Groundwater, Glaciers, Waves and Wind · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "Structure and Physiography"; Class 11, Ch 3 "Drainage System"

Meaning

A braided channel is a river that splits into many small channels. The channels separate and join again around sand bars and islands, like the strands of a braid. It forms when a river carries more sediment than it can move. The extra load is dropped as bars in the channel, and the water has to flow around them. Braided rivers shift their channels often, which causes heavy bank erosion and floods.

Example

The Brahmaputra in Assam is a classic braided river. Its sand bars include Majuli, a large river island that is shrinking because of bank erosion.

Don't confuse with

  • Meander: a meandering river is a single channel that swings in loops. A braided river splits into many channels around bars.
  • Distributary: a distributary branches off and never rejoins the main river. Braided channels split and rejoin over and over.

Related concepts

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