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Short note: Ox-bow lake

Short answer

An ox-bow lake is a crescent-shaped lake formed when a meander loop is cut off from the main stream. During a flood, the river cuts through the narrow neck of the loop; deposits seal the ends, leaving a lake.

Write a short note on ox-bow lake.

An ox-bow lake is a crescent-shaped lake formed when a meander loop of a river is cut off from the main stream.

  1. In the old stage, a meander bends more and more as the outer bank is eroded and deposits build up on the inner bank.
  2. During a flood, the river cuts through the narrow neck of the loop (neck cut-off).
  3. Deposits seal the ends of the abandoned loop, leaving a lake.
    ____            ____
   /    \          /    \
  ( loop )  ->   river    (ox-bow)
   \____/       cut-off

It slowly fills with silt and becomes a swamp or meander scar. In the Terai, such areas have soft, wet soil.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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