Oxbow-lake definition A crescent-shaped lake formed when a meander of a river or stream is cut off from the main channel.
An oxbow lake starts as a meander, or curve, in the river. Sediment builds up on one side of the curve, called deposition. The river becomes more curvy until the river ultimately loops back onto itself. The river then flows along the straighter path and forms a cutoff.
An oxbow is a crescent-shaped lake lying alongside a winding river. The oxbow lake is created over time as erosion and deposits of soil change the river's course. You can see how an oxbow lake takes shape below: (1) On the inside of the loop, the river travels more slowly leading to deposition of silt.
An oxbow wetland is a meander of a stream, river or creek, that has become separated from the flow of water. Oxbow wetlands store excess water that might otherwise lead to flooding, filter water to improve water quality and provide habitat to a variety of wildlife.
Powered by. Encyclopedic Entry Vocabulary. An oxbow lake starts out as a curve, or meander, in a river. A lake forms as the river finds a different, shorter, course. The meander becomes an oxbow lake along the side of the river.
a bow-shaped bend in a river, or the land embraced by it. Also called oxbow lake . a bow-shaped lake formed in a former channel of a river.
An oxbow lake (often called as a horse - shoe lake) is a lake that forms when a meander in a river is cut off from the rest of the river. ... When a meander, or loop, gets large enough, it pinches off from the river to form an oxbow lake.
Meanders are produced when water in the stream channel erodes the sediments of an outer bend of a streambank and deposits this and other sediment on subsequent inner bends downstream. This process reinforces the riffle-pool structure of a stream.
Rivers flowing over gently sloping ground begin to curve back and forth across the landscape. These are called meandering rivers. Meandering rivers erode sediment. from the outer curve of each meander bend and deposit it on an inner curve further down stream.
Definition of oxbow a wooden framework bent in the shape of a U; its upper ends are attached to the horizontal yoke and the loop goes around the neck of an ox. a U-shaped curve in a stream. the land inside an oxbow bend in a river.
Oxbow lake is a small lake located in an abandoned meander loop of a river channel. They are U-shaped or curved bends in a river that are cut off from the main river flow, forming a lake. Every river contains twists and turns or meanders, that cut through the surrounding landscape in a unique way.
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water that forms when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off, creating a free-standing body of water.