Geomorphology 1+9

17 Feb 2023
 Hour 1

Hour
2

Hour 3

Hour 4

Hour 1-4
Interpretation
Week 7- Hour 1

 Concepts (definition, identification and

application of:
Drainage basin, catchment area, river
system, tributary, confluence watershed,
interfluve, source, river mouth, surface
run-off, infiltration, groundwater, water
 CONCEPTS

Abstraction The lowering and recession of a watershed

Fine particles of soil rich in minerals. Deposited by
Alluvium rivers

Antecedent drainage A drainage pattern that develops before, but is

maintained after, a region is uplifted and folded
Base level The lowest level which a river erodes the land
Base flow Underground water that flows into a river

Braided river River with island of alluvium deposits

Captor stream Stream that captures another stream

Catchment area The area over which rain falls that is caught by a
particular drainage basin
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 CONCEPTS
Channel flow Water flowing in a defined channel
Confluence Point where two rivers join

Discharge The volume of water passing a point in a certain

time , measure in Cumecs
Drainage basin Area drained by a river and its tributaries
Drainage pattern Pattern made by a stream and its tributaries

Elbow of capture A right –angled bend marking the point at which

river capture took place

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 CONCEPTS
Episodic river A river that flows only after heavy rain
Flood peak The greatest volume in a river, after rain

Graded river River in equilibrium. With a smooth concave

longitudinal profile

Head ward erosion The lengthening of a river course at its source due
to the erosion of the watershed
Hydrograph Graph showing the discharge of a river

Incised meander Meander cut into land as a result of uplift and

rejuvenation

Interfluves High ground between lower-order streams of the

same drainage basin

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 CONCEPTS
Knickpoint waterfall A waterfall found at the break of slope resulting from a
fall in base level or resistant rock outcrop

Lag time Time between rainfall and flood peak in a river

Laminar flow Smooth flow of water in a river

Misfit Stream that flows in a valley disproportionately large

for it after capture

Periodic river River that receives groundwater only in the rainy

season

Permanent base level The sea, the lowest level to which a river can erode
the landmass

Permanent river River flowing throughout the year, always receiving

groundwater
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 CONCEPTS

Permeable rock Rock that allows water to pass through it

Rectangular Develops on rocks with right-angled joints or faults

drainage pattern
Rehabilitate Restore to its former state

Rejuvenation The state of a river with renewed energy and

increased erosional capacity

River terrace A nearly level surface showing the level of the original
valley floor before rejuvenation

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 CONCEPTS
Runoff The surface flow of water

Sheet flow Runoff flowing over land after rain

Sheet wash The widespread removal of surface debris as a result of

heavy rainfall

Stream capacity The amount of load the river is able to carry in relation to its
energy

Stream network Streams joined together

A drainage pattern that bears no relation to the current

Superimposed geology and relief of the landscape because the rivers
drainage developed on different rock structures, which have since
been eroded

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 Hour 1:Drainage basin concepts
Learners should fill in mind map while you explain
Drainage basin
The area drained by a river
and the surrounding
tributaries.
Drainage basins are
composed of several
secondary drainage basins
Examples of drainage basins
in SA:
- Tugela river drainage
basin
- Orange river drainage
River system
The network of all the
tributaries that join to form
one main river that flows
into the sea
 Catchment area
A catchment area refers to the upper
reaches/ sections of the drainage basins.
It is the area from which a river and its
tributaries obtain their water supply.
It feeds water into the river system
Watershed
A high lying area that separates one
drainage basin from another.
Its also known as a drainage divide
The Drakensberg mountain range is a
watershed that separates the eastward
flowing river from the westward flowing
river.
A smaller river that joins a bigger river

Tributary

DISTRIBUTARY
A large river that flows into a number of
smaller rivers
 The point where a river joins/enters the ocean,
sea or lake
River mouth

RIVER SOURCE
It refers to the origin of the river.

It may be a mountain, lake or spring

 The point where one river joins another

Confluence

GROUND
WATER
Water that collects under the earth’s surface
when rainfall seeps into the soil. It infiltrates the
surface and is stored in the soil and rock. The
ground water flows into the river as base flow

BASE FLOW
The main source of water for a river during a
drought, it is the water feeding river valleys from
underground
Water table
The upper surface of the zone of
saturation in a permeable rock

RUN-OFF
Water that flows over the land surface in
river channels.
Activities on Word document
provided
 Hour 2: Types of rivers
Learners should fill in mind map while you
explain
Types of rivers
 Permanent rivers
These rivers flow throughout the year and are found in areas of high rainfall.

In high rainfall areas the water table is quite close to the surface. us the water table lies
above the riverbed all year round. As a result, groundwater feeds water into the river by
base flow, even during the dry season.

Why do these rivers flow all year?

Because the river bed is deeper than the water table all year
 Periodic rivers
- These rivers flow seasonally, this means that they don’t flow
throughout the whole year, during the rainy seasons.
- They are also known as non-perennial rivers or seasonal rivers.
- They are only able to flow when the water table is closer to the surface
of Earth. During the dry seasons, the water table drops below the
riverbed, so no water is fed into the river by base flow.
- They occur mainly on the plateau of South Africa
 Click icon to add picture

Episodic rivers

These rivers flow for a very short period, normally after heavy
downpours of rain.
These rivers hardly ever flow because they are in low rainfall
areas and the water table is always below the river bed.
These rivers have not been able to erode deep valleys, and the
water table is far below the surface of Earth.
They occur in dry western parts of South Africa.
 Click icon to add picture

Exotic rivers

- These rivers have their sources in high rainfall areas and

thereafter flow through arid areas maintaining their course
throughout the year like the Nile river.
- As the name ‘exotic’ suggests, the water in these rivers comes
from areas upstream where the tributaries are found in high
rainfall areas.
- Rivers found in low rainfall areas but flow all year because they
are fed by tributaries in high rainfall areas
Activities on word document
provided
 Drainage patterns
Learners should fill in mind map while you explain
Dendritic

 It is the most common drainage pattern

and is easy to recognize because it
resembles the branches of a tree. e
tributaries join at less than 90 degrees.
A dendritic drainage pattern will
develop where the slope is even and
the underlying rocks are uniformly
resistant. A dendritic drainage pattern
can therefore develop on any rock type.
 The river tributaries join the main river
like the branches of a tree. (The Greek
word ‘dendron’ means tree.) This is the
most common drainage pattern and is
found in basins having one rock type
with no variation in structure, I.e. where
rocks are uniform in their resistance to
erosion.
Trellis

Trellis drainage pattern develops in

the valleys between parallel ridges or
mountain ranges. The larger main
streams flow parallel to each other and
their tributaries are short and fast owing
because of the steep slopes down which
they down. They tend to join the main
stream at nearly 90 degrees.
The main streams are parallel with short,
steep river tributaries that join the main
stream at roughly 90°. Trellis drainage is
common in areas which are fold
mountains, with alternating bands of
hard and soft rock, e.g. in the southern
regions of South Africa where there are a
number of fold mountain ranges.
Rectangular

 The rectangular drainage

pattern is most likely to develop in
an area where there is well-jointed
igneous rock. As the igneous rock is
so difficult to erode, the river flows
along the weaknesses created by
the jointing in the igneous rock. As
the joints intersect at almost 90
degrees to each other, the river and
its tributaries take very sharp bends.
 This pattern has streams and their
tributaries with many sharp bends,
all join at 90°. This is common in
areas which have been faulted or in
areas where the rock structure is
jointed.
Radial

Mountain peaks and hilltops will

cause the rivers to flow outwards
from the high central point, so that
the rivers radiate outwards like the
spokes of a wheel. The radial
drainage pattern is quite
common and is seen around any
hill or mountain peak.
The streams radiate outwards from
a central highland area like spokes
of a wheel. This is common in
areas with volcanoes, or where
there are isolated hills, such as a
butte or a dome.
Centripetal
The centripetal drainage pattern is
similar to the radial pattern, but the
rivers drain inwards to a central basin. is
drainage pattern is not very common
because there are few inland seas or
basins.
This pattern is opposite to radial
patterns, where streams flow downwards
to a central depression or low-lying area.
Centripetal formation is common in areas
where land has been warped and dips
down, e.g. the Okavango Delta and the
Dead Sea.
Deranged (Irregular)
The deranged or irregular drainage
patterns is seen in areas where the river
has not yet had time to erode a few deep
valleys, or in marsh areas where the land
is so at that the river does not drain
downslope quickly. As a result, there is no
definite pattern, hence the name
‘irregular’.
This pattern has no fixed shape. It is
characterised by small irregular streams,
swampy areas and many small lakes. It is
common in recently glaciated areas where
a drainage pattern has not had time to
develop.
Parallel A parallel drainage pattern will
develop down very steep slopes
where the river is flowing very
quickly. e parallel drainage pattern
differs from the dendritic pattern
because the tributaries are usually
long and flow parallel to each other,
or to the main stream, over a great
distance.
A parallel drainage pattern will
develop down very steep slopes
where the river is flowing very
quickly. The parallel drainage pattern
differs from the dendritic pattern
because the tributaries are usually
long and flow parallel to each other,
or to the main stream, over a great
distance.
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Activities on Word document
provided
Drainage density
 Drainage density refers to how many streams there are in a unit area
of land. This also gives us a valuable way to compare river systems.
 Drainage density refers to how many streams there are in a unit area
of land. This also gives us a valuable way to compare river systems
Drainage density =
Total length of all the streams in a basin ÷ Total area of the drainage
basin
 The lower this value the lower the density, also described as a coarse
texture. A high drainage density is described as having a fine texture
Factors affecting drainage density

1. Precipitation: areas receiving high precipitation will have more water to discharge, and
thus a high drainage density.
2. Relief: steep slopes usually have higher drainage densities as they have more runoff and
less infiltration (less seepage into the ground).
3. Permeability of rock or soil: coarse textured soil or porous and permeable rock will allow
more rainwater to seep into the ground, resulting in a low drainage density.
4. Resistance of underlying rocks: very resistant rocks are not easily eroded by
flowing water. Thus fewer river valleys are formed, resulting in a low drainage density.
5. Vegetation cover: vegetation slows down runoff and causes rainwater to seep into the
ground, leaving less water to be drained by the drainage basin. Is leads to a low drainage
density.
6. Evaporation: areas that receive a lot of evaporation will have less water(low drainage
density) than areas that receive less evaporation
7. Soil moisture: Areas with high soil moisture will have more water(High drainage basin) on
the surface than areas with less moisture
 Stream order and density on
topographic maps
 Stream ordering is a method used to classify streams so that the
size of different river systems can be compared. A number (first,
second, third, and so on) is allocated to each stream in a river
system. These numbers show the order of the streams, with their
tributaries, in a river system.
• A stream with no tributaries is a first order stream.
• When two first order streams join, it is called a second order stream.
• When two second order streams join, it is called third order stream.
 The stream order looks at the interconnectedness of tributaries in a
drainage basin.
 Stream ordering is very simple. All the tiny streams that are at the
start of the river system, closest to the highest point of the
watershed, are called first order streams because they do not have
any tributaries flowing in to them.
 When two first order streams join, they become a second order
stream. Two second order streams join to form a third order
stream, and so on.
 If a second order stream flows into a third order stream, the stream
remains a third order stream. The order number can only increase if
two streams of the same order join each other.
Drainage density

DRAINAGE DENSITY
• The drainage density is the measure of
the length of stream channel per unit area
Of drainage basin.
• It describes how many streams there are
in a drainage basin. Drainage
• Density is affected by infiltration and
surface runoff.
KEY CONCEPTS
Infiltration: Water soaks or filters into the
soil
Surface runoff: Water moves across the
surface of the earth becoming a stream,
tributary or river.