Which erosional process primarily initiates stream meander formation within an alluvial floodplain environment?

💡 Explanation

When flow encounters minor bank irregularities, localized undercutting begins via abrasion as water and sediment erode the outer bank, initiating meander development. Therefore localized bank undercutting results, rather than tilting which involves regional tectonics, sheetwash which is hillslope-driven, or thermoerosion applicable in permafrost regions.

• Which process dominates within a high-altitude cirque basin experiencing repeated freeze-thaw cycles?
• Which weather pattern results at locations where the descending air of a Hadley cell dominates?
• Which resulting phenomenon occurs when highly viscous lava cools rapidly?
• Which primary mechanism leads to the isolation and eventual formation of an oxbow lake?
• Which mechanism increases the risk of induced seismicity near a deep geothermal energy extraction well?
• Which phenomenon causes offset landforms and frequent shallow earthquakes parallel in a transform plate boundary?