What term describes a soil deposit developed at the intersection of the oxbow and the new main channel?

• A. Clay plug
• B. Kame
• C. O Horizon
• D. Zone of eluviation

Answer: (A)

When rivers abandon a meander, the old bend becomes an oxbow and is typically left in a quiet, low-energy environment where fine sediments can settle. The junction where the abandoned oxbow meets the active main channel concentrates these fine, clay-rich sediments, which gradually build up to form a clay-rich deposit that seals off the old channel from the current flow. This clay-rich barrier is known as a clay plug, and it’s the term that best describes a soil deposit developed at that intersection because it specifically denotes a clay-filled plug that blocks or separates the old oxbow from the active river.

The other options don’t fit the setting: a kame is a mound formed by glacial outwash, not related to river meanders; the O horizon is the organic-rich surface layer of soil, not a specific fluvial deposit; and the zone of eluviation is a leaching layer within soil horizons, not a feature formed at the junction of an oxbow with the main channel.