HORTONS STREAM

ORDERING
Stream orders
Each fingertip channel is a segment of the first order
stream.
Two first order streams merge to form second order
streams and so forth.
The trunk stream of any watershed bears the highest
order number of the entire system.
First and second order streams usually carry flowing
only in wet weather.
Stream orders Bifurcation Ratio
The order of a stream segment is designated by u.
The bifurcation ratio (Rb) is defined as
Stream orders Bifurcation Ratio

If the region of uniform climate, rock type, and stage of

development, the bifurcation ratio tends to remain
constant from one order to the next (3 to 5)
Stream Numbers
R.E. Horton: The numbers of stream segments of
successively lower orders in a given basin tend to form
a geometric series, beginning with a single segment of
the highest order and increasing according to a
constant bifurcation ratio.
Eg. Bifurcation ratio is 3, the trunk segment is the sixth
order, the number of segments will be 1, 3, 9, 27, 81
and 243.
Stream Numbers
The formula should be

The total numbers of stream segments of the

entire drainage basin should be
Stream Length
The 1st order stream segments have the shortest
length, and the segments become longer as order
increases.
The mean length of stream segments increases by a
length ratio (R1) with each increase in stream order.
Stream Length
R.E. Horton: The cumulative lengths of stream
segments of successive orders tend to form a
geometric series beginning with mean length of the
1st order segments and increasing according to a
constant length ratio.
Stream Slopes
Slope is stated as a ratio.
0.01 is a ration of 1:100. (a drop of 1 metre vertically
in 100 metres horizontally).

Profile a and profile b have

the same slope
Basin Areas
Horton: The mean basin areas of successive stream
orders tend to form a geometric series beginning with
mean area of the first-order basins and increasing
according to a constant area ratio.

Usually, the discharge of a stream increases with

increasing drainage area.
Drainage Density
This is found by measuring the total length of all of the
streams within the basin. (km/km2)

Drainage density are controlled by several factors, but the most

import control factor is infiltration capacity.
Strahlers Stream ordering