Braided stream

Braided stream: A stream consisting of interwoven channels constantly shifting through islands of alluvium and sandbanks. Although it develops like a meander the conditions for its development are different. Braided streams occur where gradients are steep, the stream has a high rate of discharge, and the banks are composed of soft sediments (often self-deposited) which are easily eroded. The stream beds are wider and shallower than where meanders occur, and are more liable to flood, which in itself helps the constant shifting, widening process