Geospatial approach to elucidate anomalies in the hierarchical organization of drainage network in Kuttiyadi River Basin, Southern India

doi:10.1007/s11707-021-0942-5

Front. Earth Sci.

2022, Vol. 16

Issue (3) : 786-797 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-021-0942-5

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Geospatial approach to elucidate anomalies in the hierarchical organization of drainage network in Kuttiyadi River Basin, Southern India

Thulasi Veedu SWETHA¹(

), Girish GOPINATH^2,³(

), Arun BHADRAN⁴, Arjun P²

¹. Department of Geology and Environmental Science, Christ College, Kerala 680125, India
². Geomatics Division, Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, Kerala 673571, India
³. Department of Climate Variability and Aquatic Ecosystems, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Kerala 682508, India
⁴. Earthquake Geology Division, Geological Survey of India, NER Shillong 793014, India

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Abstract

An assessment of anomalies in the hierarchical organization of the drainage network in the Kuttiyadi River Basin (KuRB), Kerala, has been performed by considering various morphometric parameters such as bifurcation index (R), hierarchical anomaly index (Δa), hierarchical anomaly density (ga), and stream gradient index (SL) in a geographical information system (GIS) platform. Further, a digital elevation model (DEM) of the area has been generated from Cartosat stereo pair data at 2.5-m resolution. The computed quantitative information about drainage characteristics reveals the highest drainage anomaly is observed in sub-watersheds (SW) III and IV. It is observed that neo-tectonic activity caused the development of younger stage drainage patterns of structural controls in the sub-watersheds of this river basin. The tectonic activity-induced diffusion, high energy fluvial erosion, and anthropogenic interferences altered the hierarchical organization of the drainage network of the sub-watersheds in mature to old stages of geomorphic evolution. The results of finding validated with asymmetry factor and ratio of the hierarchical index (Δa) with hierarchical anomaly number (A), bifurcation index (R), direct bifurcation ratio (R_db), stream gradient index (SL), and denudation index (logTu). From the denudation index analysis, the sediment yield of the river basin is identified as 0.67 t·km⁻²·yr⁻¹. Moreover, the asymmetric factor (AF) in the KuRB shows the imprints of Paleo−Neo Proterozoic crustal tilting toward a NNW−SSE direction.

Keywords river basin hierarchical anomaly bifurcation index stream gradient index denudation index Cartosat-1 DEM

Corresponding Author(s): Thulasi Veedu SWETHA,Girish GOPINATH

Online First Date: 19 April 2022 Issue Date: 29 December 2022

Cite this article:

Thulasi Veedu SWETHA,Girish GOPINATH,Arun BHADRAN, et al. Geospatial approach to elucidate anomalies in the hierarchical organization of drainage network in Kuttiyadi River Basin, Southern India[J]. Front. Earth Sci., 2022, 16(3): 786-797.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/10.1007/s11707-021-0942-5
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/Y2022/V16/I3/786

Fig.1 Kuttiyadi River Basin with major streams, lineaments, elevation details and reservoirs.

Fig.2 (a) Major crustal blocks and shear/suture zones in Southern India (modified after Santosh et al. (2015) and Collins et al. (2014)). (b) Lithological map of KuRB.

Fig.3 Workflow diagram of hierarchical anomaly analysis

Fig.4 Stream ordering proposed by Strahler (1964).

Fig.5 Sub-watersheds and stream ordering of drainage networks in KuRB.

Stream junctions	A	SW-I		SW-II		SW-III
Stream junctions	$H a t p → q$ = 2 (q−2)−2 (p−1)	B	A×B	B	A×B	B	A×B
1-2	0	47	0	27	0	39	0
1-3	1	40	40	6	6	34	34
1-4	3	38	114	11	33	29	87
1-5	7	2	14	5	35	13	91
Total 1st order streams (N₁)		127		49		115
2-3	0	19	19	8	0	10	0
2-4	2	12	24	3	6	11	22
2-5	6	0	0	4	0	3	18
2-6	14	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total 2nd order streams		31		15		24
3-4	0	8	0	1	0	4	0
3-5	4	2	8	1	4	2	8
3-6	12	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total 3rd order streams		10		2		6
4-5	0	3	0	0		1	0
4-6	8	0	0	0		0	0
Total 4th order streams		3		0		1
5-6	0	0		0		0
Hierarchical anomaly (H_at) = ∑A×B		219		84		260
Hierarchical anomaly index (Δa)Δa = H_at /N₁		1.72		1.71		2.20
Basin area (A)/km²		93		29		54
Hierarchical anomaly density (ga)ga = H_at /A		2.35		2.89		4.81

Tab.1 (a) Computed stream junctions, number of streams for each stream junction (B) and hierarchical anomaly parameters SW-I to SW-III

Stream junctions	A	SW-IV		SW-V		SW-VI		KuRB
Stream junctions	$H a p → q$ = 2 (q–2)–2 (p–1)	B	A×B	B	A×B	B	A×B	B	A×B
1-2	0	126	0	32	0	13	0	284	0
1-3	1	63	63	9	9	1	1	153	153
1-4	3	75	225	6	18	20	60	179	537
1-5	7	49	343	8	56	0	0	77	539
Total 1st order streams (N₁)		313		55		33		693
2-3	0	26	0	5	0	0	0	68	0
2-4	2	13	26	1	2	0	0	40	80
2-5	6	8	48	3	18	0	0	18	108
2-6	14	0	0	0	0	9	26	9	126
Total 2nd order streams		47		9		9		135
3-4	0	9	0	0	0	0	0	22	0
3-5	4	6	24	0	0	0	0	16	64
3-6	12	0	0	0	0	3	36	3	36
Total 3rd order streams		15		0		3		41
4-5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
4-6	8	3	24	1	8	0	0	4	32
Total 4th order streams		3		1		0	0	8
5-6	0	0		0		5		5	0
Hierarchical anomaly (H_at) = ∑A×BHierarchical anomaly index (Δa)Δa = H_at/N₁Basin area (A)/km²Hierarchical anomaly density (ga)ga = H_at/A		753		111		122		1675
		2.40		2.01		3.69		2.41
		147		84		268		676
		5.1		1.32		0.83		2.47

Table 1(b) Computed stream junctions, number of streams for each stream junction (B) and hierarchical anomaly parameters SW-IV to SW-VI

Tab.2 (a) Number of streams in different stream order and joining to next higher order

Table 2(b) Bifurcation index values (R) calculated from bifurcation ratio (R_b) and direct bifurcation ratio (R_db)

Fig.6 (a) Brittle–ductile deformations exposed in the KuRB river bed, SW-I river shows left tilt parallel to the Moyar Shear dextral movement; (b) conjugate sets of Joints in the SW-II controlledby regional kinematics; (c)–(e) evidance of netectonic signatures and river response to the reactivations of faults/shear Channel migration, unpaired terraces and uplifted river beds; (f)–(h) various joints in the KuRB makes driange trellis to parallel drainge pattern.

Tab.3 Segments SL index and total length SL index with the ratio in sub-watersheds

Tab.4 Denudation index of sub-watersheds

Fig.7 The interrelationship between (a) Δa and R, (b) Δa and A, (c) Δa and SL_segment/SL_total, (d) Δa and R_b, (e) Δa and logTu, (f) Δa and AF.

Fig.8 Kuttiyadi River Basin with drainage networks and tilts direction (yellow arrow toward Right- RT and left- LT side) of sub-watersheds indicate the role of neotectonics.

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