Straight Lines Are Unstable

A perfectly straight river is an inherently unstable system. Even the smallest irregularity — a rock, a tree root, a patch of softer soil — deflects water to one side. The faster-moving water on the outside erodes the bank, while slower water on the inside deposits sediment. The curve deepens. This process is self-reinforcing.

Each curve creates conditions that amplify the next curve downstream. Given enough time, every river will develop meanders — the sinuous, looping bends visible from any airplane window. Engineers have tried to straighten rivers for centuries, and rivers have fought back every time.