Anabranch

An anabranch is a section of a river or stream that diverts from the main channel or stem of the watercourse and rejoins the main stem downstream.

Local anabranches can be the result of small islands in the watercourse.

In larger anabranches, the flow can diverge for a distance of several or even hundreds of kilometers before rejoining the main channel.

The term anabranch, in its hydrological meaning, is used more frequently in Australia than in the rest of the English-speaking world.

An anabranch that gets cut off from the main channel becomes an oxbow lake, known in Australia as a billabong.

Anabranches at the junction of the Yukon River and the Koyukuk River in Alaska , August 24, 1941.