oxbow lakes
Abandoned river bends
An oxbow lake is a crescent-shaped body of water formed when a river's meandering loop gets cut off from the main channel.
The river finds a shorter path, leaving the abandoned curve as a standalone lake.
Over time, oxbow lakes shrink through sedimentation and evaporation: The floodplain was dotted with oxbow lakes from the river's earlier course.
- meandersWinds without purpose
- meandering streamWatercourse with many bends
- cutoffsJeans trimmed into shorts
- cut offSeparated or disconnected
- river bendCurve in a stream
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water body type/connectivity
oxbow lakesmain channel
Principal navigable passage
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