<Li> There are many oxbow lakes alongside the Mississippi River and its tributaries . The largest oxbow lake in North America, Lake Chicot (located near Lake Village, Arkansas), was originally part of the Mississippi River, as was Horseshoe Lake, the namesake for the town of Horseshoe Lake, Arkansas . Reelfoot Lake in west Tennessee is another notable oxbow lake; it was formed when the Mississippi River took a new channel following the 1811--12 New Madrid earthquakes . </Li> <P> Oxbow lakes may be formed when a river channel is straightened artificially to improve navigation or for flood alleviation . This occurred notably on the upper Rhine in Germany in the nineteenth century . </P> <P> An example of an entirely artificial waterway with oxbows is the Oxford Canal in England . When originally constructed, it had a very meandering course, following the contours of the land, but the northern part of the canal was straightened out between 1829 and 1834, reducing its length from approximately 91 to 77.5 miles (146 to 125 km) and creating a number of oxbow - shaped sections isolated from the new course . </P>

Which of the following best describes the formation of an oxbow lake