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Types of drainage patterns

Answer Text:
Drainage Patterns and Description
-Drainage pattern is the layout of a river and its tributaries on the landscape.
- We have several drainage pattens namely:
a) Dendritic
b) Trellis Rectangular
c) Parallel
d) Centripetal
e) Annular
f) Radial
a) Dendritic drainage
-Resembles a tree trunk and branches or veins of a leaf.
-Tributaries join the main river at acute angles.

b) Trellis drainage
-Tributaries join the main river and other tributaries at right angles of hard and soft rocks)
-Common in folded areas where rivers flow downwards separated by vertical uplands.
- It suggests that: river flows over rock outcrops.
- River is adjusting to the structure.
b) Rectangular Pattern
-Looks like a large block of rectangles.
-Tributaries tend to take sharp angular bends along their course, unlike trellis, it lacks secondary subsequent streams.

c) Parallel Drainage Pattern
-Rivers and tributaries flow virtually parallel to each other Influenced by slope
-Common on slopes of high mountain ranges

d) Centripetal
-Rivers flow from many directions into a central depression such as a lake, sea or swamp.
-Examples are rivers flowing into some of the Rift Valley lakes such as Nakuru and Bogoria.
- It is a possible indication of down warping in the areas forming an inland drainage.
e) Annular Pattern
-Streams (rivers which are small in size) are arranged in series of curves about a basin or crater
-It’s controlled by the slope.
- Indicates the area covered by the map was upward and therefore forming dome shaped topography.
f) Radial
-Resembles the spikes of a bicycle
-Formed by rivers which flow downwards from a central point in all directions such as on a volcanic cone e.g. on Mt. Kenya, Elgon and Kilimanjaro.
- Indicates a watershed or divided