Geomorphology
THE DRAINAGE SYSTEM
DRAINAGE BASIN
CONCEPTS
• DRAINAGE BASIN
• CONFLUENCE
• TRIBUTARY
• WATERSHED
• INTERFLUVE
• SOURCE
• MOUTH
INFILTRATION AND RUNOFF
• INFILTRATION
• THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT GETS ABSORBED IN THE GROUND
• RUNOFF
• WATER THAT FLOWS ON THE SURFACE
GROUND WATER
WATER THAT SEEPS UNDERGROUND
STREAM ORDER
DRAINAGE DENSITY
• Drainage density is the total length of all the streams and rivers in
adrainage basin divided by the total area of the drainage basin. It is a
measure of how well or how poorly a watershed is drained by stream
channels
FACTORS INFLUENCING DRAINAGE
DENSITY
• DETERMINED BY THE NUMBER OF TRIBUTARIES
• 1. ROCK PERMEABILITY
SOFT ROCK –- MORE INFILTRATION- LOW DRAINAGE DENSITY
HARD ROCK– MORE RUN OFF --HIGH DRAINAGE DENSITY
2. RAINFALL
• HIGH RAINFALL –- MORE RUN OFF - HIGH DENSITY
• LOW RAINFALL –-MORE INFILTRATION - LOW DENSITY
• 3. TYPE OF ROCK
• HARD ROCK – - MORE RIN OFF-HIGH DENSITY
• SOFT ROCK –- MORE INFILTRATION - LOW DENSITY
4. GRADIENT
STEEP SLOPE – MORE RUN OFF – HIGH DENSITY
GENTLE SLOPE – MORE INFILTRATION – LOW DENSITY
5. VEGETATION
MORE VEGETATION = MORE INFILTRATION-LOW DENSITY
LESS VEGETATION = MORE RUN OFF – HIGH DENSITY
water table
the level below which the ground is saturated with water.
DRAINAGE PATTERNS
DENDRITIC
• 1. RESEMBLES BRANCHES OF A TREE.
• UNIFORM IN RESISTANCE TO EROSION .
• TRIBUTARIES JOIN AT ACUTE ANGLES.
TRELLIS
• FOLDED SEDIMENTARY ROCK.
• ALTERNATE LAYERS OF HARD AND SOFT ROCK.
• MAIN STREAM IS PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER.
• TRIBUTARIES JOIN AT 90 ⁰
RECTANGULAR
• OCCURS IN JOINTED IGNEOUS ROCKS
• TRIBUTARIES BEND AT 90 DEGREES.
• OCCURS IN SEDIMENTARY ROCKS WITH MANY JOINTS AND FAULTS
RADIAL CENTRIFUGAL
• MASSIVE IGNEOUS ROCKS
• STREAMS RADIATE OUTWARDS FROM A CENTRAL POINT
RADIAL CENTRIPETAL
• MASSIVE IGNEOUS ROCKS
• FLOW TOWARDS A CENTRAL POIINT
PARALLEL
• STREAMS FLOW PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER IN THE SAME DIRECTION
FLOW PATTERN OF A RIVER
• LAMINAR FLOW TURBULENT FLOW
• LEVEL EVEN BED # UNEVEN BED
• WATER FLOWS FASTER BUT LESS EROSION #WHIRLING FLOW
• FLOWS IN SHEETS #EFFECTIVE EROSION
RIVER PROFILE
• CROSS PROFILE :
• SHOWS WIDTH AND DEPT.
• LONGITUDINAL PROFILE :
• SIDE VIEW FROM SOURCE TO MOUTH.
• PERMANENT BASE LEVEL :
• THE LOWEST LEVEL THE RIVER CAN ERODE.
• TEMPORARY BASE LEVEL :
• NOT THE LOWEST POINT OF EROSION.
• EROSION CAN TAKE PLACE FURTHER.
LONGITUDINAL PROFILE
GRADED PROFILE
UNGRADED
A GRADED PROFILE
• 1. THE RATE OF EROSION = THE RATE OF DEPOSITION.
• 2. THERE ARE NO KNICKPOINTS.
• 3. ALL OBSTRUCTIONS HAVE BEEN REMOVED.
• 4. IT HAS A SMOOTH CONCAVE SHAPE.
• 5. THE RIVER IS IN A STATE OF EQUILIBRIUM.
UNGRADED PROFILE
• 1. THE RIVER HAS OBSTRUCTIONS.
• 2. THERE ARE KNICKPOINT IN THE FORM OF WATERFALLS,
• LAKES , RAPIDS , DAMS.
• 3. THE RATE OF EROSION IS NOT EQUAL TO THE RATE OF DEPOSITION.
CROSS PROFILE/ TRANSVERSE
PROFILE
UPPER COURSE MIDDLE COURSE LOWER COURSE
• STEEP GRADIENT STEEP & GENTLE GRADIENT GENTLE GRADIENT
• LOW VOLUME OF WATER VOLUME INCREASES GREATER VOLIME
• DOWNWARD EROSION EROSION & DEPOSITIO LATERAL
EROSION/DEPOSITION
• TURBULENT FLOW LAMINAR/TURBULENT LAMINAR FLOW
CROSS PROFILE
• SHOWS A RIVERS DEPTH AND WIDTH
Rejuvenation : when a river flows
with renewed energy
• LANDFORMS RESULTING FROM REJUVENATION
• 1. KNICKPOINT WATERFALL
INCISED MEANDER
VALLEY WITHINA VALLEY
WATERFALLS
1.A WATERFALL DEVELOPS WHERE A RESISTANT LAYER OF ROCK CROSSES
THE PATH OF THE RIVER.
2. THE SOFTER ROCK ERODES FASTER CREATING A DROP.
[Link] THE WATER FLOWS OVER THE DROP A WATERFALL IS CREATED.
[Link] FORCE OF THE FALLING WATER CAUSES APLUNGE POOL AT THE
BOTTOM OF THE WATERFALL.
RAPIDS
• VERY TURBULENT WATER.
• WATER FLOWS RAPIDLY.
• UNEVEN BED.
• THE SOFTER ROCK ERODES FASTER THAN HARDER ROCK.
• THE RIVER BED IS STREW WITH LARGE BOULDERS.
MEANDER
• 1. WINDING CURVE.
• [Link] IN LATERAL EROSION.
• 3. THE FASTER FLOWING WATER – CAUSES EROSION ON THE OUTER
BANK – CUT OFF SLOPE
• 4. THE WATER FLOWS SLOWLY – INNER BANK – CAUSES –
DEPOSITION.
• 5. CREATES A ASYMMETRICAL PROFILE.
MEANDER
OXBOW LAKE
1. AN OX BOW LAKE FORMS WHEN A MEANDER LOOP IS CUT OFF.
2. THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE WATER FLOWS TOO FAST AND CANNOT FOLLOW THE PATH OF THE
RIVER.
3. THE MEANDER NECK NARROWS .
4. THE WATER FLOWS STRAIGHT .
5. THE LOOP IS CUT OFF , FORMING AN OX BOW LAKE .
6. WHEN THE OX BOW LAKE DRIES , A MEANDER SCAR FORMS.
FLOODPLAINS AND LEVEES
- FLAT FERTILE SOIL ON EITHER SIDE OF
A RIVER.
- GENTLE GRADIENT.
- AREA FORMED DURING TIMES OF
FLOODS.
- SIGNIFICANCE
- FERTILE SOIL PROMOTES CULTIVATION.
- GENTLE RELIEF PROMOTES
MECHANISED FARMING.
- WATER FROM RIVERS FLOWING
THROUGH THE FLODPLAIN IS USED
FOR IRRIGATION.
LEVEES
• an embankment built to prevent the overflow of a river.
• a ridge of sediment deposited naturally alongside a river by
overflowing water.
DELTA
• A river delta is a landform that forms from deposition of sediment
carried by a river as the flow leaves its mouth and enters slower-
moving or standing water. This occurs where a river enters an ocean,
sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, or (more rarely) another river that cannot
transport away the supplied sediment.
BRAIDED STREAM
• A stream consisting of multiple small, shallow channels that divide
and recombine numerous times forming a pattern resembling the
strands of a braid. Braided streams form where the sediment load is
so heavy that some of the sediments are deposited as shifting islands
or bars between the channels.
RIVER CAPTURE
when one river captures the water of another river
•
RIVER CAPTURE
ABSTRACTION : MOVING BACK OF THE WATERSHED
HEADWARD EROSION CAUSES ABSTRACTION
1. HEAVY RAINFALL
REASONS FOR RIVER CAPTURE
2 1
1000 MM
100 MM
2. TYPE OF ROCK
HARD SOFT ROCK
ROCK
2 1
3. STEEPER GRADIENT
GENTLE STEEP
2 1
FEATURES OF RIVER CAPTURE
antecedent DRAINAGE
CHARACTERISTICS OF A
ANTECEDENT STREAM
• [Link] RIVER FLOWS OVER A NEWLY FORMED LANDFORM.
• 2. THE STREAMS ARE YOUNGER THAN THE STRUCTURE THEY CUT
THROUGH .
• 3.
SUPERIMPOSED STREAM
CHARACTERISTICS OF
SUPERIMPOSED STREAM
• THE RIVER FLOWS OVER A PREVIOUSLY FORMED LANDFORM.
• THE LANDFORM IS YOUNGER THAN THE LAND OVER WHICH IT
FLOWS.
