Principles of river valleys differentiation into morphodynamic types in small-scale mapping for engineering purposes

Abstract

A necessity is shown to classify river valleys not only into afferent orders, but also to distinguish broad and narrow links within valley of a certain order. Any difference between valleys of different order is due to area concentration of runoff, while differentiation into links results from alternation of concentration and deconcentration of channel flow, which is typical of rivers. The process in further complicated by external factors, such as outcrops of rocks different in resistance to erosion, local tectonic movements or inherited non-fluvial features. The stated positions are used as a basis of a map of river valleys.