Drainage basin | Definition, Example, & Facts | Britannica
Webdrainage basin, area from which all precipitation flows to a single stream or set of streams. For example, the total area drained by the Mississippi River constitutes its drainage basin, whereas that part of the Mississippi River drained by …
Drainage basin - Wikipedia
WebA drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, the drainage divide, made up of a succession of elevated features, such as ridges and hills.
Watersheds and Drainage Basins | U.S. Geological Survey - USGS.gov
WebJun 8, 2019 · The word "watershed" is sometimes used interchangeably with drainage basin or catchment. Ridges and hills that separate two watersheds are called the drainage divide. The watershed consists of surface water --lakes, streams, reservoirs, and wetlands --and all the underlying groundwater .
Drainage Basin - Education | National Geographic Society
WebOct 19, 2023 · Vocabulary. A watershed is an entire river system —an area drained by a river and its tributaries. It is sometimes called a drainage basin. Watersheds can cover wide areas. Runoff water from a large watershed in the mid continental United States drains into the Gulf of Mexico through the Mississippi River system.
13.2: Drainage Basins - Geosciences LibreTexts
WebApr 24, 2024 · The area from which the water flows to form a stream is known as its drainage basin. All of the precipitation (rain or snow) that falls within a drainage basin eventually flows into its stream, unless some of that water is able to cross into an adjacent drainage basin via groundwater flow.
13.2 Drainage Basins – Physical Geology - BCcampus Open …
Web13.2 Drainage Basins. A stream is a body of flowing surface water of any size, ranging from a tiny trickle to a mighty river. The area from which the water flows to form a stream is known as its drainage basin. All of the precipitation (rain or snow) that falls within a drainage basin eventually flows into its stream, unless some of that water ...
18.1: The Stream System - Geosciences LibreTexts
WebFeb 19, 2022 · A drainage basin is a portion of the Earth's surface that contains a main stream and its tributaries and is bounded by a drainage divide. The drainage divide represents the boundary between adjacent drainage basins and determines into which basin precipitation flows.
The drainage basin - CCEA - BBC Bitesize
WebKey terms: Infiltration - The downward movement of water from the surface into the soil. Surface runoff - Water flows across the surface of the earth becoming a stream, tributary. or river....
Drainage Basin | Definition, System & Characteristics
WebNov 21, 2023 · In geography terms, a drainage basin is a land area that drains its water into a waterway or waterways that result in common outlet. Drainage basins are bounded by...
Watershed Collection - National Geographic Society
WebA watershed, also called a drainage basin or catchment, is an area drained by a river and its tributaries. Differing in size and shape, watersheds can encompass a small stream or span thousands of miles like the Mississippi River watershed.
Skip to content