Question

Difficulty: EasyDrainage Patterns and River Basin Analysis

Match each drainage pattern type listed on the left with its primary underlying geological control or landform characteristic on the right.

  • Dendritic patternUniformly resistant rock strata or flat-lying sedimentary rocks
  • Trellis patternAlternating bands of hard and soft rocks with tributaries joining at right angles
  • Radial patternStreams flowing outward from a central dome or volcanic cone
  • Centripetal patternStreams converging inward toward a central basin or depression

Answer

Dendritic pattern matches uniformly resistant rock strata; Trellis pattern matches alternating bands of hard and soft rocks with right-angle tributaries; Radial pattern matches streams flowing outward from a central dome; Centripetal pattern matches streams converging inward toward a central basin.
Dendritic drainage develops on uniform rock resistance. Trellis drainage forms where alternating hard and soft rocks cause tributaries to join main streams at right angles. Radial drainage flows outward from a dome peak, and centripetal drainage flows inward toward a central basin.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify structural control for branching patterns
Dendritic pattern pairs with uniformly resistant rock strata due to uniform erosion rates.
Tree-like dendritic networks only form where rock resistance is homogeneous.
2
Identify structural control for rectangular/parallel tributary layouts
Trellis pattern pairs with alternating bands of hard and soft rocks.
Tributaries carve valleys along softer strata and meet main streams near 90-degree angles.
3
Differentiate outward vs inward flow directions
Radial matches outward flow from elevated summits, while centripetal matches inward flow into depressed basins.
Topographic highs shed water in all directions (radial), while topographic depressions collect water (centripetal).

Key Concept

Geological Controls on Drainage Patterns
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