Oxbow lake, common along the Amazon River in South America, offers calm waters that provide a unique habitat for plants and wildlife. A wildlife lover's dream, the calm waters and abundant food attract a wide variety of wildlife, forming a unique biosphere, from large mammals represented by giant otters to reptiles to parrots, and even the rare four-metre-long black caimans, the largest predator in the Amazon. Oxbow Lake, essential for many rainforest animals and an important food source for indigenous indigenous communities, visiting and immersing yourself in these fascinating and unique animal habitats that dot the Amazon Basin is an important aspect of understanding life in the Amazon.
Why is it called "Oxbow Lake"?
The name comes from its resemblance to the cow bow, a U-shaped piece of metal that is fixed to the yoke around the neck of an ox and used to plow the ground. The formation of the oxbow lake is a marker of time, long but very simple in process. It usually forms in flat, low-lying plains, near where the river flows into another body of water, and the river meanders.
The meandering of the oxbow lake has two sets of curves, also known as the oxbow curve, one is a straight path that curves away from the river, and the other group bends back, sediment is deposited on the inner side of the river bend (convex bank) that moves slowly, and the water flowing faster on the outside erodes the opposite (concave) bank, making the river wider, and with the sediment and erosion of the riverbank, the neck of the meandering becomes narrower and narrower. Eventually, when the current creates a shorter, more direct shortcut to the other side of the meander, the neck is completely cut off from the river, leaving a crescent-shaped lake separate from the river.
Oxbow lakes are the remains of the curved rivers, and due to their complete isolation from the river, these lakes are still water and there are no streams or springs to supply the lake with water, meaning that there is no water flowing in or out, and over time, it evaporates and dries up, forming nutrient-rich swamps.
Figure 1: Six oxbow lakes
Figure 2-8: Oxbow Lake
Figure 9: Oxbow Lake flooded during the rainy season
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