The formation of an oxbow lake in the Northern Plains is related to what?

Correct answer: Cut off of a meander

The direct answer is D: cut off of a meander. An oxbow lake is a curved, lake-like water body separated from the main river channel. First, a plain river develops a loop-shaped meander. The current is faster along the outer bank, so it erodes that bank; deposition occurs on the inner bank. Over time the neck of the loop becomes narrower. During a flood or continued erosion, the river cuts across the narrow neck and chooses the shorter, straighter route. Deposition then seals the old ends, leaving the abandoned loop as an oxbow lake. Option D is correct because it states the essential event. Option A is wrong because a straight channel does not itself create a cut-off loop. Option B is wrong because permanent sea tides are not required and the feature is commonly formed by an inland river. Option C is wrong because cooling and bending lava are volcanic processes, not fluvial processes. Memory cue: meander cut off = oxbow lake.