Meandering Rivers

A meandering river on Prince Patrick Island, NWT. Photo courtesy of the Geological Survey of Canada, Canadian Government.

Meandering rivers occur in all of the lowland regions of the Arctic, but they are commonest in the west, especially in the vicinity of the Mackenzie delta. These rivers are typically shallow and carry substantial amounts of fine sediments, which often colour their waters brown. These rivers are easily recognized by their characteristic shape: a long series of S-shaped bends.