Oxbow lakes characteristically form in

Concept

An oxbow lake is a crescent-shaped lake formed when a river abandons a meander loop.

It develops in a broad, low-gradient floodplain where lateral erosion narrows the meander neck and deposition later seals the old channel.

Application

Because the landform begins as a bend in a meandering river channel, its characteristic setting is a river valley or floodplain.

Contrast

• Glaciers mainly produce cirques, moraines, and U-shaped valleys through ice erosion and deposition.

• Deserts mainly display wind-formed dunes and yardangs, along with channels created by intermittent runoff.

• The set-level choices do not fit because only one listed environment supplies the required meander-cutoff process.

Result

Therefore, oxbow lakes are found in river valleys.