Section between two successive turning points. On the outside of the curve (or extrados) the concave river bank is eroded, steep, and conducive to lateral erosion. On the inside of the curve (or intrados) the convex river bank is sloping gently, suitable for sedimentation of alluvial benches. There are two main types of meanders, incised meanders and free meanders, and an intermediate type, forced cut meanders.
Part of the bed between well-marked river banks in which water entirely flows outside periods of very high-flow and overflowing. The minor bed includes the low-water channel. Its limit is the bankfull discharge channel. In the case of a braided bed, there may be several flow channels. The minor bed is home to varied flora and fauna (fish, invertebrates, crayfish, mussels, diatoms, macrophytes, etc) whose population status is closely linked to the heterogeneity of the bed and to connections with the floodplain and