<p>They look like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxbow_lake" rel="noreferrer">oxbow lakes</a>. Some meander scars (crescent-shaped, but dry) are also visible. Here is an excerpt of the &quot;OXBOW&quot; entry in <em><a href="https://www.routledge.com/Encyclopedia-of-Geomorphology/Goudie/p/book/9780415863001" rel="noreferrer">Encyclopedia of Geomorphology</a></em> (2013):</p>
<blockquote>
<p>An abandoned meander (see MEANDERING) loop along an alluvial river. It
is the most common type of lake of fluvial origin. As a logical
consequence of the lateral shifting and the general downstream
migration of meanders, it develops from the interplay of channel
erosion and accumulation separated in space. Oxbows are produced by
meander cutoffs [...] The American name emphasizes the crescent shape,
while in many other languages an oxbow is called a ‘dead arm’ (e.g. in
French: <em>bras mort</em>). [...] Meander scars are oxbows completely filled
up with mineral and organic matter. They remain discernible in the
landscape for a long time. Classic examples are found along several
major rivers of the world, including the Mississippi, the Amazon and
the large rivers of Siberia.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-12T15:07:59.797Z
Thank you. Sounds you're right. I also looked at Mississippi river and saw some of the same lakes there. But I think Kura river has more of them.
Snack Exchange
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-12T22:02:09.567Z
@SnackExchange meandering river have lots and lots of them the sediment around them is layer upon layer of them. Search oxbow lake and meandering river together.
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-12T22:36:08.073Z
In southern Texas, oxbow lakes formed from meanders of the Rio Grande are called "resacas."
barbecue
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-13T06:58:16.493Z
@SnackExchange A lot also depends on how heavily altered a landscape is by humans. I'm not sure about the USA, but in Western Europe, all major rivers have been heavily altered by humans who wanted shorter shipping routes and use the land near the river.
gerrit
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-13T16:12:56.257Z
In Australia, it's called a billabong, I believe from an Aboriginal word.  They're mostly stagnant except during the rainy season.
Cristobol Polychronopolis
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-13T18:30:44.010Z
@CristobolPolychronopolis All this time I thought a billabong was just a place for a swagman to spring into.
Wayne Conrad
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-13T18:36:56.250Z
As long as he starts out camped beside it, waiting for his billy to boil.  (Under a coolibah tree.)
Cristobol Polychronopolis
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-15T00:44:43.397Z
A big one near the Mississippi River in Louisiana is called False River.
RonJohn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-15T18:50:06.643Z
Yes, oxbow lakes.  You could note that the Kura river has been artificially straightened in many locations, leaving behind more oxbow lakes than might be present naturally.
James K
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-12T14:39:53.993Z
2023-10-12T14:39:53.993Z
Jean-Marie Prival
<p>I was looking at the Kura river in Google Maps satellite mode and I saw these U-shaped bodies of water:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/cOrf3.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/cOrf3.jpg" alt="U-Shaped" /></a></p>
<p>There are other U-shaped bodies of water too:</p>
<p><a href="https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZNRfYApRkHVEnDpW6" rel="noreferrer">40.615881° N, 47.205031° E</a></p>
<p><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/T5KKuHs2uZRDB7Fj8" rel="noreferrer">40.101139° N, 47.963825° E</a></p>
<p>And so many others.</p>
<p>Why are these U-shaped bodies of water frequent in the region?</p>

<water><rivers>
Why are these U-shaped bodies of water frequent near Kura river?
Snack Exchange
# Why are these U-shaped bodies of water frequent near Kura river?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-10-12)

I was looking at the Kura river in Google Maps satellite mode and I saw these U-shaped bodies of water:

[![U-Shaped](https://i.sstatic.net/cOrf3.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/cOrf3.jpg)

There are other U-shaped bodies of water too:

[40.615881° N, 47.205031° E](https://maps.app.goo.gl/ZNRfYApRkHVEnDpW6)

[40.101139° N, 47.963825° E](https://goo.gl/maps/T5KKuHs2uZRDB7Fj8)

And so many others.

Why are these U-shaped bodies of water frequent in the region?

**Tags:** water, rivers


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2023-10-12. Score: 26 | Accepted answer

They look like [oxbow lakes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxbow_lake). Some meander scars (crescent-shaped, but dry) are also visible. Here is an excerpt of the "OXBOW" entry in *[Encyclopedia of Geomorphology](https://www.routledge.com/Encyclopedia-of-Geomorphology/Goudie/p/book/9780415863001)* (2013):

> An abandoned meander (see MEANDERING) loop along an alluvial river. It
> is the most common type of lake of fluvial origin. As a logical
> consequence of the lateral shifting and the general downstream
> migration of meanders, it develops from the interplay of channel
> erosion and accumulation separated in space. Oxbows are produced by
> meander cutoffs [...] The American name emphasizes the crescent shape,
> while in many other languages an oxbow is called a ‘dead arm’ (e.g. in
> French: *bras mort*). [...] Meander scars are oxbows completely filled
> up with mineral and organic matter. They remain discernible in the
> landscape for a long time. Classic examples are found along several
> major rivers of the world, including the Mississippi, the Amazon and
> the large rivers of Siberia.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you. Sounds you're right. I also looked at Mississippi river and saw some of the same lakes there. But I think Kura river has more of them.  
> **username_2**: @username_0 meandering river have lots and lots of them the sediment around them is layer upon layer of them. Search oxbow lake and meandering river together.  
> **username_3**: In southern Texas, oxbow lakes formed from meanders of the Rio Grande are called "resacas."  
> **username_4**: @username_0 A lot also depends on how heavily altered a landscape is by humans. I'm not sure about the USA, but in Western Europe, all major rivers have been heavily altered by humans who wanted shorter shipping routes and use the land near the river.  
> **username_5**: In Australia, it's called a billabong, I believe from an Aboriginal word.  They're mostly stagnant except during the rainy season.  
> **username_6**: @username_5 All this time I thought a billabong was just a place for a swagman to spring into.  
> **username_5**: As long as he starts out camped beside it, waiting for his billy to boil.  (Under a coolibah tree.)  
> **username_7**: A big one near the Mississippi River in Louisiana is called False River.  
> **username_8**: Yes, oxbow lakes.  You could note that the Kura river has been artificially straightened in many locations, leaving behind more oxbow lakes than might be present naturally.  

---

