Meanders in plains of alluvium indicate that streams are flowing over very gentle gradients where water flows leisurely and performs active lateral erosion on the banks. The unconsolidated nature of alluvial deposits makes up the banks with many irregularities, allowing water to exert pressure laterally and develop sinuous courses over floodplains and delta plains.

Incised meanders in rocks indicate very deep and wide meanders cut in hard rocks. These form when streams that originally developed meandering courses over gentle slopes later experience conditions where vertical erosion becomes dominant, causing the river to cut deeply into the rock while maintaining its meandering pattern.