Oxbow lake

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/oxbow-lake

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the geomorphological process?Result of river meandering, erosion, and avulsion leading to channel abandonment
2. How does a river make an oxbow lake?A river meanders, erodes the outside of a bend and deposits sediment on the inside. When the bend gets very narrow, the river can jump across during a flood, leaving the loop behind. The loop fills with water and becomes an oxbow lake.
3. Why are oxbow lakes good for fish and birds?Because the water is still and has lots of plants, fish that need calm water can grow there, and many birds like to stop and nest near the lake.

Avulsion: The rapid abandonment of an existing river channel and the formation of a new one.
Fluvial Geomorphology: The study of landforms created by rivers and the processes that shape them.
Eutrophication: The enrichment of a lake or other body of water with dissolved nutrients, typically compounds containing nitrogen, phosphorus, or both.