Chute, or Cutoff | River Flow, Water Flow & Flood Control | Britannica (original) (raw)

chute, or Cutoff, in a river, shortcut across a meander (q.v.). loop that shortens and straightens the course of the stream. Chutes are formed by lateral erosion of the bank of the upstream arm of a loop, which causes the stream to cut through the neck of the loop into the downstream arm. This process is favoured by the tendency of meander trains, or sequences, to sweep downvalley, the stacking or compressing of meanders upstream of obstacles, and the increase of sinuosity that accompanies slope reduction. Streams flow through chutes with low gradients only during high-water periods, but high-gradient chutes divert the stream, leaving the former meander loop as an isolated oxbow lake (q.v.).

This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.