Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The significance of morphometric analysis for obtaining groundwater potential zones in a structurally controlled terrain

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Geology

Abstract

Watershed development and management plans are more important for harnessing surface water and groundwater resources in arid and semi-arid regions. To prepare a comprehensive watershed development plan, it becomes necessary to understand the topography, erosion status and drainage patterns of the region. This study was undertaken to determine the drainage characteristics of Pageru River basin using topographical maps on a scale of 1:50,000. The total area of the Pageru River basin is 480 km2. It was divided into X sub-basins for analysis. The drainage patterns of the basin are dendritic and include a sixth order stream. The quantitative analysis of various aspects of a river basin drainage network characteristics reveals complex morphometric attributes. The streams of lower orders mostly dominate the basin. The development of stream segments in the basin area is more or less affected by rainfall. The elongated shape of the basin is mainly due to the guiding effect of thrusting and faulting. The erosional processes of fluvial origin have been predominately influenced by the subsurface lithology of the basin.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3a,b a
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Cannon JP (1976) Generation of explicit parameters for a quantitative geomorphic study of the Mill Creek Drainage Basin. Oklahoma Geology notes 36(1):13–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Chow Ven T (1964) (ed) Handbook of applied hydrology. McGraw Hill Inc, New York

  • Dornkamp JC, King CAM (1971) Numerical analyses in geomorphology, an introduction. St. Martins Press, New York, 372 pp

  • Gardiner V (1975) Drainage basin morphometry. British Geom Group, Tech Bull 14, 48 pp

  • Gregory KJ, Walling DE (1973) Drainage basin form and process a geomorphological approach. Arnold, London

  • Horton RE (1932) Drainage basin characteristics. Trans Am Geophys Union 13:350–361

    Google Scholar 

  • Horton RE (1945) Erosional development of streams and their drainage basins; hydrophysical approach to quantitative morphology. Geol Soc Am Bull 56:275–370

    Google Scholar 

  • Leopold LB, Miller JP (1956) Ephemeral streams: hydraulic factors and their relation to the drainage net. U.S. Geol Surv Profess, 282-A

    Google Scholar 

  • Melton MA (1958) Geometric properties of mature drainage system and their representation in an E4 phase space. J Geol 66:35–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller VC (1953) A quantitative geomorphic study of drainage basin characteristics in Clinch Mountain Area, Virginia and Tennessee. Technical report, 3, Office of the Naval Research. Dept. of Geology, Columbia Univ., New York

  • Schumm SA (1956) Evolution of drainage systems and slopes in Badlands at Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Natl Geol Soc Am Bull 67:597–646

    Google Scholar 

  • Schumm SA (1963) Sinuosity of alluvial rivers on the great plains. Geol Soc Am Bull 74:1089–1100

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith KG (1950) Standards for grading texture of erosional topography. Am J Sci 248:655–668

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith KG (1958) Erosional processes and landforms in Badlands national monument South Dakota. Bull Geol Soc 69:975–1008

    Google Scholar 

  • Sreedevi PD (1999) Assessment and management of groundwater resources of Pageru River basin, Cuddapah district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, Sri Venkateswara Univ., Tirupati

  • Sreedevi PD, Srinivasulu S, Kesava Raju K (2001) Hydrogeomorphological and groundwater prospects of the Pageru River basin by using remote sensing data. Environ Geol 40(8):1088–1094

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strahler AN (1952) Hypsometric (area-altitude) analysis of erosional topography. Bull Geol Soc Am 63:1117–1142

    Google Scholar 

  • Strahler AN (1964) Quantitative geomorphology of drainage basin and channel networks. In: Chow VT (ed) Handbook of applied hydrology. McGraw Hill Book Co., New York, pp 4–76

  • Sudheer AS (1986) Hydrogeology of the Upper Araniar River basin, Chittor district, Andhra Predesh, India. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, Sri Venkateswara Univ., Tirupati

  • Wentworth CK (1930) A simplified method of determining the average slope of land surfaces. Am J Sci 20:184–194

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Director NGRI for having given permission to publish the paper. The first author gratefully acknowledges the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) New Delhi, for financial assistance in the form of a Research Associate grant.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Geophysical Research Institute, Uppal Road, Mail Box no. 77, 500 007, Hyderabad, India

    P. D. Sreedevi, K. Subrahmanyam & Shakeel Ahmed

Authors
  1. P. D. Sreedevi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K. Subrahmanyam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shakeel Ahmed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. D. Sreedevi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sreedevi, P.D., Subrahmanyam, K. & Ahmed, S. The significance of morphometric analysis for obtaining groundwater potential zones in a structurally controlled terrain. Env Geol 47, 412–420 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-004-1166-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-004-1166-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation