Evaluation of drainage networks developed in hard rock terrain

Abstract

An attempt was made to study the influence of various factors such as geology, landforms, slope, soil, landuse/cover on the development of the drainage network. To compare and evaluate drainage networks developed in various geologic terrains, differing in rock type and structure, three sub-basins of the Bhadra river basin, located in Chikmagalur district, Karnataka, India were selected for the study. Quantitative morphometric analysis was carried out for both linear aspects and areal aspects for all three sub-basins. The applicability of Horton's laws was also studied. Each of the quantitative parameters was interrelated with thematic details derived from remote sensing data. The results of the study indicate that the drainage characteristics are entirely different for all three sub-basins. The study has also established the applicability of Horton's laws pertaining to quantitative morphometry of the sub-basins.