Lateral cutting by the river produces landslips and rockslides, widening the valley. As walls steepen, rock material falls into the stream bed by downslope movement, such as a landslide. Eventually the streams remove rock material by transport, like a conveyor belt. Typically, a valley is narrow in its youth and becomes wider with time. In a narrow valley produced by downcutting, the angles or curves on one side of a valley correspond to the angles or curves of the other side.
Broad valleys result where lateral cutting prevails over downcutting, often in lowland areas.
They are flat-bottomed, wider than they are deep. The velocity of the river is greatest on the outside of curves, which increases the lateral cutting. Lower velocities on the inner bank of a meander enhances deposition there. Meanders crawl along a valley, eventually migrating downstream because of the slope of the valley. A narrow bridge of land between two adjacent meander loops.