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An oxbow lake is an isolated, curved lake formed when ______.

Multiple choice question.
a) a stream erodes sideways
b) a meander is cut off from a stream
c) a stream floods
d) erosion deepens a stream bed

User Assata
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

An oxbow lake is formed when a meander is cut off from a stream, due to the natural processes of meandering and sediment deposition. The correct option is b.

Step-by-step explanation:

An oxbow lake is an isolated, curved lake formed when a meander is cut off from a stream. The process of meandering involves the tendency of a river to scour the outer bend of a channel and deposit sediment on the inner bend, which eventually can lead to the formation of an oxbow lake.

As a river evolves, the meanders become highly curved, and during high water events or through normal flow the neck of a meander can be breached, thus cutting off the meander and creating an oxbow lake.

Hence, Option b is correct.

User Edmundito
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