DRAINAGE PATTERNS

GRADE 10
MARCH 2020
 TERMINOLOGIES

• DRAINAGE BASIN
• WATERSHED
• CONFLUENCE
• TRIBUTARY
• SOURCE
• MOUTH OF A RIVER
• CATCHMENT
 DRAINAGE DENSITY

• SOME BIG RIVERS HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF TRIBUTARIES SO THAT NO PLACE

IN THE DRAINAGE BASIN IS VERY FAR FROM A RIVER OR STREAM. SUCH AN AREA
IS SAID TOHAVE A HIGH DRAINAGE DENSITY. WHERE A MAIN RIVER HAVE FEW
TRIBUTARIES THE DRAINAGE DENSITY IS LOW
 TYPES OF DRAINAGE PATTERNS

• RIVERS AND THEIR TRIBUTARIES FORM DISTINCTIVE PATTERNS DEPENDING PARTLY ON

GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE (ROCK STRUCTURE)
THERE ARE VARIOUS TYPES OF DRAINAGE PATTERNS:
• DENDRITIC
• TRELLISED
• RADIAL
• RECTANGULAR
• ANNULAR
•
 DENDRITIC
DRAINAGE
PATTERN
THE DRAINAGE PATTERNS LOOK LIKE
A TREE. THE MAIN RIVER IS THE
TRUNK; THE LARGER TRIBUTARIES
ARE THE MAIN ‘BRANCHES’ AND THE
SMALLER TRIBUTARIES FORM A
PATTERN LIKE LITTLE BRANCHES AND
TWIGS.
 TRELLISED
DRAINAGE
PATTERN
THE DRAINAGE PATTERN HAS THE
APPEARANCE OF A RECTANGULAR GRID.
RIVERS AND THEIR TRIBUTARIES FLOW
ALMOST PERPENDICULAR TO EACH
OTHER, WITH CONFLUENCES AT AN
ANGLE CLOSE TO 90 DEGREE ANGLE.
TRELLISED IS COMMON IN AN AREA
WITH ALTERNATE BANDS OF ROCK.

EXAMPLE PARTS OF NORTHERN RANGE

IN TRINIDAD.
THERE ARE BANDS OF ROCK RUNNING
EAST-WEST. THE MAIN RIVERS RUN
NORTH OR SOUTH CUTTING ACROSS THE
BANDS OF ROCK.
RADIAL DRAINAGE
PATTERN
RIVERS RADIATE FROM A CENTRAL POINT, LIKE
SPOKES OF A WHEEL. RIVERS ON VOLCANIC
CONES OFTEN DEVELOP A RADIAL DRAINAGE
PATTERN.

IN GRENADA, RIVERS FLOW OUTWARDS FROM

THE MAIN VOLCANIC PEAKS IN THE CENTRE
OF THE ISLAND.

THERE IS ALSO A RADIAL DRAINAGE PATTERN

AROUND ST. VINCENT SOUFRIERE.
RIVERS: ENERGY AND
PROCESSES
 RIVERS AND ENERGY

• ENERGY IS NEEDED FOR TRANSFERS TO OCCUR. AROUND 95 PERCENT OF A

RIVER’S ENERGY IS USED TO OVERCOME FRICTION. THE REMAINING 5 PERCENT
IS USED TO ERODE THE RIVER CHANNEL AND TRANSPORT MATERIAL
DOWNSTREAM.
• TWO TYPES OF RIVER ENERGY ARE POTENTIAL (ENERGY THE RIVER HAS
DEPENDING ON ITS POSITION) AND KINETIC ENERGY (ENERGY IN THE RIVER
DUE TO MOVEMENT)
 RIVERS AND ENERGY

THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY IN A RIVER IS DETERMINED BY:

• THE AMOUNT OF WATER IN THE RIVER

• THE SPEED AT WHICH IT IS FLOWING

ALTHOUGH EVERY RIVER IS UNIQUE,
MOST SHOW SIMILAR CHANGES FROM
SOURCE TO MOUTH. THREE SECTIONS
CAN BE RECOGNIZED ALONG RIVERS:
THE UPPER COURSE, MIDDLE
COURSE AND LOWER COURSE.

THESE SECTIONS COMBINE TO FORM

THE LONG PROFILE OF THE RIVER.
 DID YOU KNOW THAT……..

FROM SOURCE TO MOUTH THE RIVER’S :

• GRADIENT DECREASES
• DEPTH INCREASES
• VOLUME INCREASES
• VELOCITY INCREASES
• DISCHARGE DECREASES
 TERMINOLOGIES

• VOLUME- THE AMOUNT OF WATER IN THE RIVER

• VELOCITY- THE SPEED OF THE WATER.
• DISCHARGE- THE AMOUNT OF WATER PASSING A SPECIFIC POINT AT A GIVEN
TIME. IT IS MEASURED IN CUBIC METERS PER SECOND
RIVER PROCESSES
RIVERS

• ERODE
– (WEAR AWAY THE EARTH’S SURFACE DUE TO ITS RAPID SPEED AND STEEP CHANNEL)
• TRANSPORT
– (REMOVE ERODED EARTH MATERIAL DUE TO LOSS OF SPEED AS CHANNEL WIDENS AND
GRADIENT DECREASES)

• DEPOSIT
– (BUILD UP WITH ERODED MATERIAL DUE TO ITS VERY SLOW SPEED AND ITS RELATIVELY FLAT
AND WIDE CHANNEL)
 RIVER EROSION INVOLVES………

4 1
 TRANSPORTATION

• THE LOAD IS THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF MATERIAL BEING CARRIED BY THE RIVER.
THERE ARE FOUR PROCESSES BY WHICH A RIVER CAN TRANSPORT ITS LOAD:
TRACTION, SALTATION, SUSPENSION AND SOLUTION
TRANSPORTATION

4
1
 DEPOSITION
WHEN A RIVER DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH ENERGY TO TRANSPORT ALL THE MATERIAL THAT HAS
BEEN ERODED UPSTREAM, SOME OF ITS LOAD IS DEPOSITED. RIVER DEPOSITS ARE KNOWN AS
ALLUVIUM. ENERGY DECREASES, CAUSING DEPOSITION IN THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS:
• THE GRADIENT DECREASES SIGNIFICANTLY- EXAMPLE IF A RIVER LEAVES A MOUNTAIN RANGE
AND FLOWS INTO A FLAT LOWLAND. GRAVEL, SAND AND OTHER MATERIALS ARE OFTEN
DEPOSITED AT THE EDGE OF THE A MOUNTAIN RANGE.
• THE VOLUME OF THE RIVER IS REDUCED- THIS MAY HAPPEN DURING A DROUGHT OR IF THE
RIVER FLOWS INTO A DRY AREA WHERE EVAPORATION IS HIGH AND NO NEW MATERIAL IS
ADDED.
• THE RIVER FLOWS INTO THE SEA OR INTO A LAKE. MUD, SAND AND OTHER MATERIAL IS OFTEN
DEPOSITED AT THE MOUTH OF A RIVER.
DEPOSITION CONT’D