Concave‐bank Benches in the Floodplains of Muskwa and Fort Nelson Rivers, British Columbia

Although concave‐bank benches rarely occur in freely meandering rivers, they may constitute a significant proportion of the floodplain formed by the downvalley migration of the tight channel bends of confined meanders. This study reports the results of a field survey of the floodplains of Fort Nelson and Muskwa rivers, two of many northeastern British Columbian rivers whose meandering is confined between the resistant valley sides of former glacial meltwater channels. The formation and character of contemporary concave‐bank benches and the morphology and sediments of the corresponding floodplain features are described. The concave‐bank benches form lateral ribbons of deposition along the valley walls and constitute about one‐third of the entire floodplain.