Stanford Study Overturns Long-Held Belief About Plants and Rivers

Stanford Study Overturns Long-Held Belief About Plants and Rivers

Stanford scientists reveal that meandering rivers existed long before plants stabilized their banks, challenging a central narrative in geology. A team of Stanford researchers is challenging a long-standing idea that the emergence of land plants about 500 million years ago dramatically altered th

Plant life role in shaping river patterns reconsidered by Stanford research

Stanford CA (SPX) Aug 25, 2025 A Stanford-led study overturns a long-held belief that vegetation was solely responsible for transforming ancient braided rivers into meandering forms. Geologists had assumed land plants stabilized riverbanks, making meandering possible. The new research shows unvegetated rivers can also form meanders, though their rock record often mimics braided systems. The study reveals that the resemb