Bear River Meanders
January 23, 2015
Photographer: Brent Watson
Summary Authors: Brent Watson
The Bear River flows through the states of Wyoming, Utah and Idaho. The Bear River, like many older rivers, takes a sinuous course as it travels to its terminus in the Great Salt Lake. The curves in the river, meanders, are short lived. They cut away at the outside bank of the curve. This photo shows many meanders that have been cut off as the river begins a new course through the narrow part of the meander. They're visible here as dry riverbeds near where the river flows today.
Note the portion of the river that's in the process of being cut off (upper left). The river has cut a path across the neck of the meander, but still flows through it. The next meander to the right shows evidence that it's also been cut off leaving an oxbow lake. Photos taken at an altitude of 5,000 ft (1,524 m) on December 6, 2014.
Photo details: Top - Camera Maker: SONY; Camera Model: SLT-A77V; Focal Length: 24mm; Aperture: ƒ/11.0; Exposure Time: 0.010 s (1/100); ISO equiv: 100; Software: Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows). Left - same except: Lens: DT 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA; Focal Length: 70mm (35mm equivalent: 105mm); Aperture: ƒ/10.0; Exposure Time: 0.0063 s (1/160).