Oxbow Lakes: Meanders That Die

When a meander loop becomes extreme enough, the river eventually cuts through the narrow neck of land between two bends, taking a shorter path. The abandoned loop is cut off from the main channel, forming a crescent-shaped oxbow lake.

Oxbow lakes are common along mature rivers with wide floodplains. The lower Mississippi has hundreds of them. Over time, these lakes fill with sediment and vegetation, becoming marshes and eventually dry land — leaving curved scars on the landscape long after the water is gone.