Rivers and Drainage Basins: Introduction

 Rivers, Rivers, Rivers, DRAINAGE BASIN

Image: From Quora

What is a Drainage Basin?

A drainage basin can be described as an area of land drained by a river and it's tributaries. 

A well developed drainage basin consists of: 

• Spring: The point from which water flows from with earth's surface. 

• Source: The point where a rivers begins

• Mouth: The point at which a river ends (and meets a larger body of water, usually an ocean or sea)

• Stream: Also can be called a consequent stream, this a body a fresh water, flowing through s channel

• Tributary: Also can be called a subsequent stream, this is a smaller river that joins the consequent stream

• Deferred Junction: This is where a tributary flows parallel to a consequent stream before joining it. 

• Distributary: Smaller rivers located at the mouth that flow away from the consequent stream (usually towards a large body of water) 

• Watershed: An area of highland that separates one drainage basin from another.