what means the course of a river and its tributaries

by Korey Hegmann 10 min read

A river begins at a source (or more often several sources) which is usually a watershed, drains all the streams in its drainage basin, follows a path called a rivercourse (or just course) and ends at either at a mouth or mouths which could be a confluence, river delta, etc.

The place where the tributary and the main river meet is called a confluence. The origins of a tributary are called its source.Dec 7, 2021

Full Answer

What is a tributary river?

Apr 18, 2013 · A tributary is a freshwater stream that feeds into a larger stream or river. The larger, or parent, river is called the mainstem. The point where a tributary meets the mainstem is called the confluence. Tributaries, also called affluents, do not flow directly into the ocean. Most large rivers are formed from many tributaries.

What is a river?

The Mississippi River is the largest drainage basin in the United States and the second-longest river in North America. It is also the 15th largest river by discharge in the world. This schematic map of the Mississippi and its major tributaries shows the extent of this watershed. Major ports, as defined by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) based on total tonnage, are also shown.

How do geographers classify tributaries?

Definition: (n.) One who rives or splits. (n.) A large stream of water flowing in a bed or channel and emptying into the ocean, a sea, a lake, or another stream; a stream larger than a rivulet or brook. (n.) Fig.: A large stream; copious flow; abundance; as, rivers of blood; rivers of oil. (v. i.) To hawk by the side of a river; to fly hawks at river fowl.

Which tributary does not flow directly into the sea or ocean?

Feb 02, 2021 · Indus River System. It originates from a glacier near Bokhar Chu in the Tibetan region at an altitude of 4,164 m in the Kailash Mountain range near the Mansarovar Lake.; The river flows northwest and enters in Ladakh region in India from a place called Demchok, after entering India Indus river flows in between Karakoram and Ladakh range but more closer to the …

What is the meaning of course of rivers?

The course of a river is the direction in which a river flows. You must remember that all rivers flow downhill. We can find 3 different courses in a river: upper, middle and lower course. Upper course: usually, rivers are born in mountains. The place where the river begins is called the source.Sep 29, 2014

What is a river and its tributaries called?

A watershed is an entire river system—an area drained by a river and its tributaries. It is sometimes called a drainage basin.Oct 5, 2011

What is the meaning of rivers and tributaries in English?

A tributary of a river is another river that flows into it. If one river flows into a second river, then the first river is a tributary of the second river. A tributary is a body of water that flows into another body of water. The opposite of a tributary is a distributary.

What do you mean by the term tributaries?

1 : a stream feeding a larger stream or a lake. 2 : a ruler or state that pays tribute to a conqueror. tributary.

What are tributaries of Ganga?

The important tributaries are the Yamuna, the Ramaganga, the Gomti, the Ghagra, the Son, the Gandak, the Burhi Gandak, the Kosi and the Mahananda. At Farakka in West Bengal, the river divides into two arms namely the Padma which flows to Bangladesh and the Bhagirathi which flows through West Bengal.Oct 28, 2020

What do you mean by tributaries and distributaries?

Tributaries are small streams of water that originates from the glacier and join together to form a river. Distributaries are formed when the river breaks down into small streamlets or channels.

What are tributary rivers write the name of two main rivers and their one tributary?

What are tributary rivers write the name of two main rivers and their one tributary?RiverTributariesKrishna1. Tungabhadra 2. Ghataprabha 3. Malaprabha 4. Bhima 5. Vedavati 6. KoynaCauvery1. Kabini 2. Hemavathi 3. Simsha 4. Arkavati 5. BhavaniNarmada1. Amaravati 2. Bhukhi 3. Tawa 4. Banger1 more row•Dec 10, 2021

What are tributaries called?

In the United States, where tributaries sometimes have the same name as the river into which they feed, they are called forks. These are typically designated by compass direction. For example, the American River in California receives flow from its North, Middle, and South forks.

What is an early tributary?

An "early tributary" is a tributary that joins the main stem river closer to the main river's source than its end. Similarly, a "late tributary" joins the main river much further downstream, closer to the main river's end point.

What order are tributaries in the Strahler stream?

The Strahler Stream Order examines the arrangement of tributaries in a hierarchy of first, second, third, and higher orders, with the first-order tributary being typically the least in size. For example, a second-order tributary would be the result of two or more first-order tributaries combining to form the second-order tributary.

What is a tributary in Laos?

For other uses, see Tributary (disambiguation). The Nam Khan flows into the Mekong at Luang Prabang in Laos. A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake.

What is the largest river in the world?

The Madeira river is the largest tributary river by volume in the world with an average discharge of 31,200 m 3 /s (1,100,000 cu ft/s). A confluence, where two or more bodies of water meet together, usually refers to the joining of tributaries.

Which river is a tributary of the Yangtze River?

Huai River (which itself is a tributary of the Yangtze River) and tributaries . Jialing River (which itself is a tributary of the Yangtze River) and tributaries. The Liao River is a much simpler example of a river basin with tributaries.

Which river is the second largest tributary of the Ganges?

The Yamuna is the second largest tributary river of the Ganges and the longest tributary in India. It flows almost parallely to the Ganges about its right bank for 1,376 kilometres (855 mi) before merging with it at the Triveni Sangam, Prayagraj which is one of the holiest pilgrimage site of the Hindus .

Where does a river start?

A river begins at a source (or more often several sources) which is usually a watershed, dra ins all the streams in its drainage basin, follows a path called a rivercourse (or just course) and ends at either at mouth or mouths which could a confluence, river delta, etc.

How does a river start and end?

A river begins at a source (or more often several sources), follows a path called a course and ends at a mouth or mouths. The water in a river is usually confined to a channel, made up of a stream bed between banks. In larger rivers there is often also a wider floodplain shaped by flood -waters over-topping the channel. Floodplains may be very wide in relation to the size of the river channel. This distinction between river channel and floodplain can be blurred, especially in urban areas where the floodplain of a river channel can become greatly developed by housing and industry.

How do rivers flow?

Rivers can flow down mountains, through valleys ( depressions) or along plains, and can create canyons or gorges. The river channel typically contains a single stream of water, but some rivers flow as several interconnecting streams of water, producing a braided river.

What is an intermittent river?

Main article: Intermittent river. An intermittent river (or ephemeral river) only flows occasionally and can be dry for several years at a time. These rivers are found in regions with limited or highly variable rainfall, or can occur because of geologic conditions such as a highly permeable river bed.

What is the name of the river delta?

Nile River delta, as seen from Earth orbit. The Nile is an example of a wave-dominated delta that has the classic Greek letter delta (Δ) shape after which river deltas were named.

What is a river bifurcation?

There are rare cases of river bifurcation in which a river divides and the resultant flows ending in different seas. An example is the bifurcation of Nerodime River in Kosovo . A river flowing in its channel is a source of energy that acts on the river channel to change its shape and form.

How do organisms in the riparian zone respond to changes in river channel location and patterns of flow?

The organisms in the riparian zone respond to changes in river channel location and patterns of flow. The ecosystem of rivers is generally described by the river continuum concept, which has some additions and refinements to allow for dams and waterfalls and temporary extensive flooding. The concept describes the river as a system in which the physical parameters, the availability of food particles and the composition of the ecosystem are continuously changing along its length. The food (energy) that remains from the upstream part is used downstream.

What is the Indus River?

In this article, You will read Indus River System and its tributaries – for UPSC IAS. The Indus river is one of the world’s largest river basins. It is also known as Sindhu. The river flows through China (Tibet region), India, and Pakistan. In Tibet, it is known as Singi Khambai or Lion’s mouth. Contents.

What river joins the Indus River?

The Kishenganga (Neelum) River, the largest tributary of Jhelum, joins it. The Chenab merges with the Sutlej to form the Panjnad River which joins the Indus River at Mithankot. The waters of the Jhelum are allocated to Pakistan under the terms of the Indus WatersTreaty.

What is the length of the Beas River?

The river before entering Pakistan merges with the Sutlej River at Hari-Ke-Pattan in Punjab. The total length of this river is 460km and the river covers 256km through HP.

What is the name of the river that flows through the valley of Kashmir?

It is a tributary of the Chenab River and has a total length of 813km. The river Jhelum rises from a spring at Verinag situated at the foot of the Pir Panjal in the southeastern part of the valley of Kashmir in India. The Kishenganga (Neelum) River, the largest tributary of Jhelum, joins it.

What is the Indus water system?

Indus Waters Treaty 1960. The Indus system comprises of main Indus River, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej. The basin is mainly shared by India and Pakistan with a small share for China and Afghanistan.

What are the rivers in the Himalayas?

Kishanganga River. Ravi River. Sutlej River. Beas River. Indus Waters Treaty 1960. Himalayan River Systems. The Indus, the Ganga, and the Brahmaputra comprise the Himalayan river systems. The Himalayan Rivers existed even before the formation of the Himalayas i.e. before the collision of the Indian Plate with the Eurasian plate.

Where does the Indus River flow?

The river flows northwest and enters in Ladakh region in India from a place called Demchok, after entering India Indus river flows in between Karakoram and Ladakh range but more closer to the Ladakh range.

Which river has steep slopes, coarse sandy beds, shallow braided channels, and heavy silt charge?

Right bank tributaries of river Brahmaputra have common feature: have steep slope, coarse sandy beds, shallow braided channels, and carry a heavy silt charge. Have a look at them one by one:

Which river flows through hills and has steep slopes and shallow braided channels?

Sankosh river. sankosh river. The Sankosh river rises in Bhutan’s northern part . As it is a right Bank tributary of Brahmaputra river, flowing through hills it carries lots of silt with it, and has steep slopes and shallow braided channels.

What river enters India?

The river Brahmaputra enters into India through Arunachal Pradesh as siang or dihang river. After joining its tributaries Lohit and the dibang river, it is known as river Brahmaputra. After entering into Bangladesh river Brahmaputra is known as Jamuna river and it is joined by Ganga river which in Bangladesh is known as Padma river.

What is the name of the spring that flows parallel to the Himalayan ranges?

The spring named Tamchok khambab is considered as the origin of the river Brahmaputra. It is known as Tsangpo or Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet region and flows parallel to the Himalayan ranges before entering into India through Arunachal Pradesh. The river Brahmaputra enters into India through Arunachal Pradesh as siang or dihang river.

What is the source of the Subansiri river?

And sikung chu is the main source of the subansiri river. Subansiri river is the largest tributary of river Brahmaputra. Subansiri enters into India through Arunachal Pradesh and flows through Miri hills. Subansiri joins the river Brahmaputra in Assam at Jamurighat.

Where is the Lohit River located?

lohit river. Lohit river rises in the Tibet region where it is called as Zayu river . It enters India through Arunachal Pradesh flowing mishmi hills it joins siang river to form the Brahmaputra river. Lohit river carries abundant amounts of lateritic soil with it which provides it a reddish colour.

Where does the river Dibang originate?

River dibang originates in Arunachal Pradesh near Indo China border in the dibang valley. The mishmi hills lie in the upper course of river dibang. The river finally joins the lohit river and together they join the siang river.

What river flows in opposite direction of Indus River?

Suru river. Suru river originates from Deosai mountains and flow in opposite direction of indus river and hence it is also called as obsequent tributary of indus river. Kargil is located on banks of suru river and chutak dam is over suru river. Burzil la pass lies on suru river path.

Where does Satluj River start?

The satluj river rises from Manasarovar rakas Lake in tibet near to the source of the mighty Indus river. It starts its journey in north west direction and enters india near the Shipki la pass on India and Tibet border.

What river merges with Bhaga?

Basically two streams Chandra and Bhaga on opposite sides of bara lacha la pass merge and form the river chandrabhaga also known as Chenab river . Originates in zaskar range and flows parallel to pir panjal range through Pangi valley. Jhelum and ravi merge with chenab and ultimately into the satluj river.

What river is Kishan Ganga?

Kishan ganga river is a tributary of Jhelum river. It was in news recently due to kishan ganga hydroelectric project, construction of which was objected by Pakistan and it went to International court of arbitration , but court verdict came in favour of india. Jhelum river itself is a tributary of chenab river.

What is the Indus Water Treaty?

Indus Water Treaty (IWT) is water distribution treaty between India and Pakistan signed on September 19, 1960. Brokered by the World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) Indus water treaty divides the Indus river system into two river systems. Eastern Rivers- Ravi, Beas, Satluj.

Where is the Jhelum river?

Jhelum river. indus river system. Jhelum river originates from verinag located in pir panjal range in kasmir. Jhelum river founds it’s mention in Rigveda also as Vitasta. Jhelum is life line of Kashmir valley peoples, and also cause havocs at times due to flooding. Kishan ganga river is a tributary of Jhelum river.

Which direction does the Indus River flow?

Indus river starts its journey from Mount Kailash amd flows in north west direction , After entering India it flows between Ladhak range and Zaskar range , continuing its course in north west direction till the Nanga Parbat syntaxical bend from where indus river takes a sharp southerly direction.

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Overview

A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater, leading the water out into an ocean. The Irtysh is a chief tributary of the Obriver and is also the longest tributary river in t…

Terminology

"Right tributary" and "left tributary" (or "right-bank tributary" and "left-bank tributary") are terms stating the orientation of the tributary relative to the flow of the main stem river. These terms are defined from the perspective of looking downstream (in the direction the water current of the main stem is going).
An "early tributary" is a tributary that joins the main stem river closer to the mai…

Ordering and enumeration

Tributaries are sometimes listed starting with those nearest to the source of the river and ending with those nearest to the mouth of the river. The Strahler Stream Order examines the arrangement of tributaries in a hierarchy of first, second, third and higher orders, with the first-order tributary being typically the least in size. For example, a second-order tributary would be the result of two or more first-order tributaries combining to form the second-order tributary.

Gallery

• A gallery of major river basins with tributaries
• The basin of the Amazon River is a system made up of many tributary streams. The streams shown on the map besides the Amazon are tributaries of the Amazon.
• The Benue River is fed by multiple tributaries originating in the Adamawa Plateau; many of the highest tributaries are seasonal streams. The Benue is itself a major tributary of the Ni…

See also

• Estuary

Overview

A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of water. Small rivers can be referred to using names such as stream, creek, brook, rivulet, and rill. There are no official definitions for the generic term river as applied to geographic …

Types and ratings of rivers

Rivers have been classified by many criteria including their topography, their biotic status, and their relevance to white water rafting or canoeing activities.
Most but not all rivers flow on the surface. Subterranean rivers flow underground in caves or caverns. Such rivers are frequently found in regions with limestone geologic formations. Subglacial streamsare the braided rivers that flow at the …

Topography

A river begins at a source (or more often several sources) which is usually a watershed, drains all the streams in its drainage basin, follows a path called a rivercourse (or just course) and ends at either at a mouth or mouths which could be a confluence, river delta, etc. The water in a river is usually confined to a channel, made up of a stream bed between banks. In larger rivers there is often …

Flow of river

Studying the flows of rivers is one aspect of hydrology.
Rivers flow downhill with their power derived from gravity. The direction can involve all directions of the compass and can be a complex meandering path.
Rivers flowing downhill, from river source to river mouth, do not necessarily take the shortest path. For alluvial streams, straight and braided rivers have very lo…

Ecosystem of rivers

The organisms in the riparian zone respond to changes in river channel location and patterns of flow. The ecosystem of rivers is generally described by the river continuum concept, which has some additions and refinements to allow for dams and waterfalls and temporary extensive flooding. The concept describes the river as a system in which the physical parameters, the availability of food particles and the composition of the ecosystem are continuously changing al…

Uses of rivers

The coarse sediments, gravel, and sand, generated and moved by rivers are extensively used in construction. In parts of the world this can generate extensive new lake habitats as gravel pits re-fill with water. In other circumstances it can destabilise the river bed and the course of the river and cause severe damage to spawning fish populations which rely on stable grave…

Management of rivers

Rivers are often managed or controlled to make them more useful or less disruptive to human activity.
• Dams or weirs may be built to control the flow, store water, or extract energy.
• Levees, known as dikes in Europe, may be built to prevent river water from flowing on floodplains or floodways.

Concerns

Man-made causes, such as the over-exploitation and pollution, are the biggest threats and concerns which are making rivers ecologically dead and drying up the rivers.
Plastic pollution imposes threats on aquatic life and river ecosystems because of plastic's durability in the natural environment. Plastic debris may result in entanglement and ingestion by aquatic life such as turtles, birds, and fish, causing severe injury and death. Human livelihoods ar…