Drainage Patterns

All rivers are joined by smaller rivers or streams which are called tributaries. The
area drained by the river and its tributaries is known as the river basin. The
highland area around the basin is called the watershed. River systems often form a
distinct pattern which is due to the structure of the rocks in the drainage basin.
Three distinctive patterns can be recognised, dendritic, trellis and radial.
Dendritic:
This pattern looks like tree branches. This pattern develops in gently sloping basins
with fairly uniform rock type. The tributaries flow into the river at random
forming a pattern like the veins of a leaf. Examples of dendritic drainage are in the
Caroni River in Trinidad and the Bruce Vale river basin in Barbados. This type of
drainage pattern is the most common in the Caribbean region.

Trellis:
This drainage pattern has an appearance of a rectangular grid. Rivers and their
tributaries flows almost perpendicular to each other with confluence of almost 90 o.
Trellis drainage takes place where there is an alternate band of hard and soft rock at

right angles to the main direction of the slope. The main river has the power to cut
though the hard rock while the tributaries cut though the softer rock at more or less
right angles. This pattern can be seen in some areas of western Barbados and is
also present in the Northern range of Trinidad.

Radial:
Radial drainage patterns happen on a dome or volcanic cone. This pattern
resembles the spokes of a wheel. The river radiates outwards in all directions from
a high central point or dome. The volcanic islands in the eastern Caribbean have
radial drainage pattern. The southern half of St. Lucia and Nevis are good
examples of where radial drainage takes place.