Hole 7: meandering rivers

As rivers make their way from source to sink, or ocean basin, they tend to meander. Water level fluctuates over a quarter-hour period, mimicking spring floods and low summer flows. When the river rises, Pat Hamilton says, visitors can see "how rivers are constantly moving their bedload [sand in this case] downstream." They'll see how water slows on the inside of a curve and speeds up on the outside, scouring the bank.