Drainage Pattern


 
 
Concept Explanation
 

Drainage Pattern

The term drainage describes the river system of an area. However, small streams tend to flow from different directions and come together to form the main river. Ultimately the main river drains into large water body such as a lake, sea or ocean. The area drained by a single river system is called a drainage basin. Any elevated area, such as a mountain or an upland, separates two drainage basins, which is called as a water divide. The world’s largest drainage basin is of the Amazon river in South America, whereas in India it is of the Ganga river.The streams within drainage the slope of land underlying rock the area. Drainage patterns are of four kinds(i) Dendritic pattern: In this pattern the river and its tributaries follow the slope of the terrain just like the branches of a tree.(ii)Rectangular pattern: This pattern occurs on a strongly jointed rocky terrain.(iii) Trellis pattern: This pattern develops where hard and soft rocks exist parallel to each other, so that the tributaries join the river at almost right angles.(iv) Radial pattern: This pattern develops when streams flow in different direction from a central peak or dome like structure.A combination of more than one type of drainage pattern may be found in the same basin. basin.

 

 
 
 


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