As rivers age they can meander and occasionally these meanders get so pronounced that the river cuts off these curving loops at their narrow end leaving them as isolated as oxbow lakes.

The objective of this observation is to check for the presence of these features. At HiRISE resolution, we should be able to test for traces of former meandering river channels in what looks like an oxbow feature in images from lower-resolution cameras.

Written by: HiRISE Science Team   (28 August 2013)

More info and image formats at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/ESP_029054_2165

Image: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona