Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 13 hours ago
The forks of the Shenandoah River in northern Virginia showcase some of the most dramatic and geometric "entrenched" meander bends anywhere. The North Fork of the Shenandoah is actually 3.2 times longer than it would be if it flowed down its valley in a straight line. These meanders aren't quite like the sweeping, rapidly changing bends in rivers like the Mississippi, which flow over unconsolidated sediment in their lower reaches. In the Shenandoah's case, the river is flowing over, and cutting into, bedrock. This video explains why the river flows where it does, what bedrock properties control the meander shape, and, finally, why it needs to meander so much in the first place. Google Earth, LiDAR, and MS Paint are used to tell the story.
The forks of the Shenandoah River in northern Virginia showcase some of the most dramatic and geometric "entrenched" meander bends anywhere. The North Fork of the Shenandoah is actually 3.2 times longer than it would be if it flowed down its valley in a straight line. These meanders aren't quite like the sweeping, rapidly changing bends in rivers like the Mississippi, which flow over unconsolidated sediment in their lower reaches. In the Shenandoah's case, the river is flowing over, and cutting into, bedrock. This video explains why the river flows where it does, what bedrock properties control the meander shape, and, finally, why it needs to meander so much in the first place. Google Earth, LiDAR, and MS Paint are used to tell the story.
