A SIMPLIFIED APPROXIMATION
RICHARD J. CHORLEY2 AND L. S. D. MORLEY3
ABSTRACT
The usual method for the calculation of the hypsometric integral is rather laborious. In this paper it is
shown how a rapid and accurate estimate can be obtained when the drainage basin is approximated by a
simple geometrical form.
The hypsometric integral was devised by
Strahler (1952) as a dimensionless (per-
centage) measure of the subsurface volume
of a drainage basin, referred to the 100 per
cent value given by "a solid bounded on the
sides by the vertical projection of the basin
perimeter and on the top and base by
parallel planes passing through the summit
and mouth respectively" (Strahler, 1952, p.
1119). In addition, the valuable suggestion
was made that, under certain conditions,
this integral would provide a quantitative
expression of "stage" of basin denudation.
Certainly, if it is assumed that dissection
began on an upper horizontal surface, part
of which still remains to give the 100 per
cent height datum, the concept might well
recommend itself for wider employment by
geomorphologists as a precise measure of
relative time in the erosional history of a
basin landform. Schumm (1956) has amply
demonstrated the value of such a use, but
his work is a curiously isolated one in this
respect.
Strahler's method of measuring the hyp-
sometric integral is somewhat tedious, and
it seems that the labor involved in its de-
termination goes far to explain why this
useful morphometric measure has not yet
found its proper place as a fundamental
geomorphic tool. The authors were inter-
ested, therefore, to determine whether, by
approximating actual drainage basins by a
regular geometrical form, it is possible to
1 Manuscript received March 15, 1959.
2 Department of Geography, Downing Place,
Cambridge University, Cambridge, England.
3 Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough,
England.
FOR THE HYPSOMETRIC INTEGRAL1
produce a simplified method for estimating
the hypsometric integral, or, at least, a
value for it which differs from the actual
measured value by an error the amount and
direction of which are regular and predict-
able, such that the actual hypsometric
integral may be inferred from it.
It has already been demonstrated (Chor-
ley, Malm, and Pogorzelski, 1957) how the
plane projection of a drainage basin may be
approximated by a loop of a lemniscate of
the form
p = 1 cos k 0 , (1)
where 0 lies between +r/2k and - -/2k; I is
the longest diameter of the loop and repre-
sents the length of the drainage basin; and k
is a constant which controls the shape of the
lemniscate and has a value greater than, or
equal to, unity. It has been demonstrated
further that the area (A) of the lemniscate
can be expressed by the following equation
12'
A- 4 (2)
4k'
and the value of k, consequently, by
12r
k 4A
4A" (3)
In a similar way, the three-dimensional
form of a drainage basin can be approxi-
mated by the intersection of a lemniscate
cylinder with an inverted cone, centered at
the lemniscate origin (fig. 1, A and B). The
volume (V) of this is readily calculated in
the following manner. The volume (8V) of
the elemental slice shown in figure 1, C and
D, is
SV = -Zp8O . (4)
566
 GEOLOGICAL NOTES 567

C D
FIG. 1.-The intersection of a lemniscate cylinder with an inverted cone

Now the equation to the lemniscate is given

in equation (1), and the equation to the
cone is
(5)
z (Hc)

and, on substituting in equation (4), the

volume of the elemental slice may be re-
written as
H1l2
V - cos3 kO8. (6)
3
Thus the volume of the solid shown in
figure 1, B, is

S+?-r/2k

(7)
Hi2f +
- 3 J
3r/2k
cos3 kOdO- 9
4 Hl2 .
3 --i/2i 9k
Thus a drainage basin of height H, area
A, length 1, and hypsometric integral
FIG. 2.-The calculation of the hypsometric
integral for a given drainage basin (after Strahler,
(j") 1952).
568 GEOLOGICAL NOTES

FIG.3.-An idealizedgeometricalformfor the drainagebasin shownin fig. 2

equal to 50 per cent (fig. 2; redrawn from

Strahler, 1952, fig. 1), can be approximated
by an idealized form (fig. 3) having these
identical dimensions-including an equal
volume-except that the calculated height
(He) is 0.884H, which is obtained from
4H12 HA Hl2ir
'
9k 2 8k

The problem of approximating the hyp-

FIG.4.-The lemniscatefamily
sometric integral of an actual drainage basin
by this simple mathematical form therefore
resolves itself into a question of calculating
the appropriate value of the height (He) for
this form. In the instance illustrated in
figures 2 and 3, the height (H6) of the in-
verted cone was calculated from a knowl-
 FIG. 5.-Idealized geometrical forms for drainage basins having small, medium, and large hypsometric
integrals. Left, actual basins; right, geometrical approximations.

TABLE 1
Strahler's Approximated
Ho.5/ H Measured Hypsometric
(from Hypsometric Integral
Strahler's Figure Number Strahler) Integral (Eq. [11])
14. 0.880 79.5 86.0
210 700 67.6 68.4
170 510 59.7 59.6
17@ 545 54.2 53.2
17@® 500 49.3 48.9
21® 155 47.8 44.5
17® 155 46.8 44.5
15 120 43.0 41.0
17@ 365 40.8 35.7
21@® 320 32.9 31.3
16 0.130 17.6 12.7
570 GEOLOGICAL NOTES
edge of the actual hypsometric integral of
the basin. It is obvious that a method must
now be devised whereby He may be obtained
without such prior knowledge, and one way
is to employ the height of the contour (Ho.s)
which divides the plane projection (i.e.,
map view) of the actual basin in half.
FIG.6.-The relationshipbetweenthe actualand
approximatedhypsometricintegrals.
Now this (H0.5) contour on the surface of
the inverted cone forms part of a circle (fig.
3) which, when projected onto the plane of
the lemniscate, is centered on the lemniscate
origin. It is shown (Appendix A) that the
radius, R, of this circle is always expressed
by
A = U.I . y1 , (o)
and is independent of the constant (k) which
controls the shape of the lemniscate, as
shown in figure 4. Thus, by similar triangles
(fig. 5), the height He is
Ho0.5
H, 0579 (9)
The approximated hypsometric integral
may now be obtained by calculating the
volume of the mathematical form as a per-
centage of the volume HA, which is the
reference value for the actual basin. Thus,
using equation (7),
fH
4Hl2 / 9k
HA- X 100, (10)
-
and substituting for A and He from equa-
tions (2) and (9), respectively, we obtain
JH- 97.7
H. (11)
Now, equation (11) provides a reasonably
accurate approximation for values of the
hypsometric integral lying within the im-
portant range between 50 and 70 per cent
(fig. 5, B). For the higher values, the in-
creasing elevation of Ho0., relative to the
relief (H) of the basin, causes the approxi-
mating geometrical form to assume an
increasingly larger volume than that of the
actual basin (fig. 5, A), whereas, with
progressively smaller values of the hypso-
metric integral, the decreased elevation of
H0.5 produces the opposite effect (fig. 5, C).
Strahler (1952, figs. 14, 15, 16, 17, and
21) has measured the actual hypsometric
integrals for eleven drainage basins within a
wide range of values. He has also provided
graphs whereby the ratio Ho.s/H may be
obtained for each basin. These data are
FIG. 7.-The bisection of the lemniscate
tabulated in table 1, and, on plotting the
actual hypsometric integrals against those
calculated from the simple equation (11),
employing the above values of Ho.5/H, a
close logarithmic relationship is found to
exist between them (fig. 6). In fact, the
deviation is so consistent as to suggest that,
by employing figure 6, the actual hypso-
metric integral may be readily obtained
from the value calculated from equation
(11).
 GEOLOGICAL NOTES 571
APPENDIX A
The area of the elemental arc at radius p in
figure 7 is 20pp and so, for the area of the un-
tr/4 - (R/l)[1 - (R/l)2] 1/2 (13)
shaded portion to have an area A/2 it is neces- cos -- 2 (R/t
sary, from equation (2), for
=0,
20o -2 8k (12)
7o, A 12 7
which is a transcendental equation having the
real root
where R is the required radius. Substituting
equation (1) in this last and carrying out the R
integration, we find l -0.579364 .... (14)

REFERENCES CITED
CHORLEY, R. J., MALM,D. E. G., and POGORZELSKI, Jersey: Geol. Soc. America Bull., v. 67, p. 597-
H. A., 1957, A new standard for estimating 646.
drainage basin shape: Am. Jour. Sci., v. 255, p. STRAHLER, A. N., 1952, Hypsometric (area-altitude)
138-141. analysis of erosional topography: Geol. Soc.
SCHUMM, S. A., 1956, Evolution of drainage systems America Bull., v. 63, p. 1117-1142.
and slopes in badlands at Perth Amboy, New