Editing Distributary (section)

{{Redirect|Branch river||Branch River (disambiguation)}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2014}}
{{short description|Stream branching off from main stream channel}}
[[File:RMSDeltaNorth.jpg|thumb|[[Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta]], with the flow from right to left, showing several streams branching off from their main streams]]

A '''distributary''', or a '''distributary channel''' is a [[stream]] [[channel (geography)|channel]] that branches off and flows {{em|away from}} a main stream channel. It is the opposite of a ''[[tributary]]'', a stream that flows {{em|towards and into}} another stream or river. Distributaries are a result of [[river bifurcation]] and are often found where a river approaches a [[lake]] or an [[ocean]] and divides into distributary networks; as such they are a common feature of [[river delta]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Modeling river delta formation |last1=Seybold |first1=Hansjörg |last2=Andrade Jr. |first2=José |last3=Hermann |first3=Hans |date=23 October 2007 |volume=103 |number=43 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0705265104 |journal=  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|pages=16804–16809 |location=Boston |doi-access=free |pmid=17940031 |pmc=2040410 |arxiv=0711.3283 |bibcode=2007PNAS..10416804S }}</ref> They can also occur inland, on [[alluvial fan]]s, or where a tributary stream bifurcates as it nears its [[confluence]] with a larger stream. In some cases, a minor distributary can divert so much water from the main channel that it can later become the main route.