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Difficulty: MediumDrainage Patterns and River Basin Analysis

Match each drainage pattern type with its corresponding underlying geological or structural control.

  • Dendritic patternUniformly resistant horizontal rock strata or massive crystalline rocks
  • Trellis patternFolded topography with alternating parallel belts of hard and soft rocks
  • Radial patternCentral elevated dome, volcanic cone, or isolated peak
  • Centripetal patternEnclosed inland basin, crater lake, or structural depression

Answer

Dendritic pattern matches Uniformly resistant horizontal rock strata; Trellis pattern matches Folded topography with alternating parallel belts of hard and soft rocks; Radial pattern matches Central elevated dome, volcanic cone, or isolated peak; Centripetal pattern matches Enclosed inland basin, crater lake, or structural depression.
Each drainage pattern forms under specific geological conditions: uniform rock lithology allows random tree-like branching (dendritic), folded alternating hard/soft rocks force right-angle junctions along strike valleys (trellis), central high points divert water outward in all directions (radial), and central low depressions gather surrounding drainage inward (centripetal).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the geometrical characteristics of each drainage network
Tree-like branching (Dendritic), rectangular grid-like joining (Trellis), radiating outwards (Radial), and converging inwards (Centripetal).
Channel alignment is determined directly by geological controls and landforms.
2
Relate stream geometry to underlying rock structure and topography
Uniform resistance creates dendritic, folded structures yield trellis, high peaks create radial, and central depressions yield centripetal flow.
Subsurface rock hardness and surface slope dictate drainage network pattern formation.

Key Concept

Geological and structural controls on drainage patterns
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Topics

Drainage Patterns and River Basin Analysis

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