Archives

Antecedent drainage patterns Superimposed drainage patterns

River capture (stream piracy) Captor stream, captured stream, misfit stream, elbow of capture, wind gap

River grading  Rejuvenation of rivers Rejuvenate means to become young again. A rejuvenated river is a river that has become young again by increasing it’s ability to erode. Reasons for river rejuvenation: A fall in the sea level, giving the river more energy An increase in the height of the land, causing the river to… Read More »

Identification and description of fluvial landforms Meanders    Oxbow lakes Braided streams   Floodplain Natural leveé Waterfall Rapids  Delta      

River profiles Transverse profile Longitudinal profile    

Discharge of a river The discharge of a river is the volume of water which flows through it in a given time. It is usually measured in cubic meters per second. The volume of the discharge will be determined by factors such as climate, vegetation, soil type, drainage basin relief and the activities of man.… Read More »

Ideally, you should use topographic maps to identify stream order and density Drainage density   Stream Order  

Drainage patterns  Dendritic     Trellis Rectangular Deranged Parallel Radial   Centripetal    

Types of rivers Permanent Rivers Permanent Rivers have water all year round. Periodic Rivers Rivers that run dry on occasion, usually located in arid climates where evaporation is greater than precipitation. Episodic Rivers Rarely occurring rivers formed from run-off channels in very dry regions. Exotic Rivers These are rivers that flow through arid (desert) regions. An example of… Read More »

Important concepts  Drainage basin Catchment area A area drained by a river and all its tributaries.   Watershed An area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas. River system A river system is defined as a group of rivers discharging water by way of a common flow… Read More »