Drainage Patterns and Stream Order

Cerritos College Department of Earth Science On-Line Tutorial Center

coastr04.jpg (21371 bytes)

This image shows part of the California Coast Range north of San Francisco. It was taken out of an airplane window with a digital camera (by Dr. Colbath, fall 1999). Note the ridges produced by folding of the layered sedimentary rocks which make up the bedrock in that part of California (note also the smoke haze from forest fires).

What is the name for the type of drainage pattern which has developed on this landscape?

The photo at the right was taken from the space shuttle and shows part of the desert in the country of Yemen (STS-41G, October 1984 Picture #17-36-036.) Note that the drainage pattern is distinctly different from that in the image above. What is the name for this type of drainage pattern?

Note that these stream channels are dry (called Wadis in Arabic). Although there are occasional flash floods in the area today, there is not enough rainfall to develop the integrated drainage pattern visible in the photograph. What does this tell you about the history of climate in Yemen?

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06/25/0303 Mar 2006 11:58:06 -0800

Last update: 03/03/06