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← GeographyWhich mechanism primarily leads to the formation of an oxbow lake cutoff?
A)Aggradation decreasing the river's gradient
B)Avulsion initiating a new channel path
C)Erosion concentrating at meander bends✓
D)Seismic activity causing stream offsets
💡 Explanation
When a river flows around a meander bend, erosion concentrates on the outer bank because the water velocity is highest there, while deposition occurs on the inner bank causing the meander neck to narrow. Therefore, concentrated erosion causes meander bends to progressively get closer until neck cutoff happens and forms the oxbow lake, instead of avulsion, aggradation, or seismic shifts triggering it directly.
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