---
title: "What is Oxbow lake?"  
description: "A brief explanation of the Oxbow Lake and how it is formed"  
author: "Anjita D."  
published: 2023-10-30  
canonical: https://yourviews.mindstick.com/story/3047/what-is-oxbow-lake  
category: "science"  
tags: ["Oxbow lake", "science", "nature", "facts", "general knowledge"]  
reading_time: 1 minute  

---

# What is Oxbow lake?

![What is Oxbow lake](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/stories/f721a33c-63ef-47eb-9c6a-8af4436406b3/images/07848129-9f21-468a-8e0e-86450eaf8021.jpeg) ![What is Oxbow lake](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/stories/f721a33c-63ef-47eb-9c6a-8af4436406b3/images/1e18eaa5-f040-4411-b3f2-06e8fefb53b7.jpeg) An oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water formed when a river's wide meander is cut off, typically found in flat, low-lying areas. ![What is Oxbow lake](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/stories/f721a33c-63ef-47eb-9c6a-8af4436406b3/images/759bb7e9-0858-4e1e-8de8-9c35d2bc84ca.jpeg) When a river erodes the concave walls of a meander, it creates a land neck that connects the meander to the main river channel. ![What is Oxbow lake](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/stories/f721a33c-63ef-47eb-9c6a-8af4436406b3/images/9281e9b1-2329-4156-bb2e-82dfb4a6d976.jpeg) Land thins out over time until a river cuts through it, resulting in a shortened channel for river flow and an abandoned meander as a lake. ![What is Oxbow lake](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/stories/f721a33c-63ef-47eb-9c6a-8af4436406b3/images/80530510-e804-47a0-ae34-f3779bd3922b.jpeg) It ranges from a few acres to several square miles, and are vital habitats for wildlife and recreational activities like fishing, boating & swimming. ![What is Oxbow lake](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/stories/f721a33c-63ef-47eb-9c6a-8af4436406b3/images/2a626c36-e3db-4aae-97d0-4b3995747ac1.jpeg) Grand Chain of Lakes in Missouri, Mississippi River Delta in Louisiana, Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia and Florida & Great Salt Lake in Utah are examples

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Original Source: https://yourviews.mindstick.com/story/3047/what-is-oxbow-lake

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