Drainage Basins, Channels, and Flow Characteristics of Selected Streams in Central Pennsylvania GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 282-F Drainage Basins, Channels, and Flow Characteristics of Selected Streams in Central Pennsylvania By LUCIEN M. BRUSH, JR. PHYSIOGRAPHIC AND HYDRAULIC STUDIES OF RIVERS GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 282-F A study of the influence of the geologic character of drainage basins upon the hydraulic characteristics of 16 natural stream channels at sampling stations UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1961 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director REPRINTED 1963 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D.C. - Price $1.00 (paper cover) CONTENTS Page Page IV Effect of kind of bedrock, etc.—Continued Abstract-__________________________________________ 145 General geology________________________________ 163 Introduction_______________________________________ 145 Bedrock lithology and the longitudinal profile.._. 163 Order of discussion____________________________ 146 Relation of slope to length of stream for different Acknowledgments__ _ - __ . ______________________ 146 kinds of bedrock____________________________ 163 General description of the area._--_-___-____--___ 146 Longitudinal profiles determined by integration of Procedure___________________________________ 148 the equations relating slope and length of stream. _ 165 Characteristics of individual streams and drainage basins- 148 Effect of kind of bedrock on bed material in channel—___ 166 Longitudinal profiles of streams_________________ 148 Relation of particle size and length of stream._____ 166 Bed material----_____--__-----------____--_________ 150 Competence. ___ ________________________________ 168 Particle size__________________________________ 150 Hydraulic geometry and kinds of bedrock..______ 168 Distribution of particle size._____________________ 151 Summary and discussion_________________________ 169 Particle shape._________________________________ 152 Relations of slope, particle size, length, and kind of bed­ Effect of wear on particle size.___________________ 154 rock. -_.________________________ 170 Morphology of drainage basins.______________________ 155 Particle size and slope for common lengths.________ 170 Relation of length of stream to size of drainage area_ 155 Rock type, slope, and particle size for individual Relation between mean annual flood and drainage streams____________-___-__-__-__-______-_-_ 171 area——_____________________________________ 157 Comparison with results of other authors__-_______ 172 Hydraulic geometry_______________________________ 158 Summary of relations between kind of bedrock and Hydraulic geometry by indirect approximations.___ 158 the longitudinal profile.___-___-_____---_-_---_ 173 Exponents of power functions for downstream re­ Summary and conclusions.__________________________ 173 lations_____________________________________ 158 References..._---___--_----------_-----__---------_ 174 Values of the coefficients for downstream relations. _ 160 Appendix________________________________________ 177 Composite characteristics of streams __________________ 161 A. Summary of data._-_---_-__-----__-_______-_ 177 Composite relations_____-____-_--___-___________ 161 B. Summary of flood-frequency analyses and meas­ Effect of kind of bedrock on longitudinal profiles and ured bankfull discharge_____________________ 180 basin characteristics.__________________________ 162 Index. _--_______.__-----._-__._-.__._______ 181 ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE 5. Drainage basins studied and location of sampling stations, Susquehanna River basin, central Pennsylvania. In pocket 6. Views of: A, general topography toward Allegheny Front, B, bed material in upper Shaver Creek, C, bed ma­ terial in Little Juniata River, and D, boulder field in water gap near Lamar__________________________ Facing 148 7. Geologic map of an area in Centre County and parts of adjacent counties, Susquehanna River basin, central Pennsylvania___________-________________________--_-____--_-_-_---__--_---__-----__-____ In pocket 8. Columnar section in the Bellefonte quadrangle, Pennsylvania._______________________________•_______ In pocket FIGURE 88. Location of area of investigation___________________________________________________________________ 147 89. Generalized diagrams of longitudinal profiles of six of the major streams studied.___________________________ 149 90. Relation of fall to length of stream from drainage divide as plotted on: A, semilogarithmic paper, B, logarithmic paper. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 149 91. Relation of channel slope to length of stream from drainage divide._____-_-_-__-__-_-____--_______________ 150 92. Relation of mean particle size to length of stream from drainage divide.._________________________________ 150 93. Relation of channel slope to mean particle size. ___________-__-_________--------_-___-__-_-_________.__ 151 94. Cumulative frequency curves of particle size as plotted on probability paper._____________________________ 152 95. Relation of intercept sphericity to length of stream from drainage divide _________________________________ 153 96. Relation of computed particle size and length of travel for data of Wentworth (1919) and Krumbein (1941b)__ _ 154 97. Relation of number of streams, mean length of streams, and mean areas of drainage basins to stream orders. _ _ _ 156 98. Relation of length of stream from drainage divide to size of drainage area.________________________________ 156 99. Relation of discharge to recurrence interval for gaging station on Standing Stone Creek.______________________ 158 100. Relation of mean annual flood and size of drainage area for gaging stations in the vicinity of the field area._____ 159 101. Relation of bankfull width, bankfull depth, and computed bankfull velocity to bankfull discharge____________ 161 102. Relation at all sampling stations of: A, channel slope and distance from drainage divide, B, length of stream from drainage divide and size of drainage area, C, mean particle size and channel slope, and D, intercept spher­ icity and length of stream from drainage divide._____-___-----__------_----_-----___---__-----_-__-__ 162 in IV CONTENTS Page FIGURE 103. Relation of bankfull width, bankfull depth, and computed bankfull mean velocity to bankfull discharge for all sampling stations. ——— _____________________________________________________._____„__ 163 104. Relation of channel slope and length of stream from drainage divide in areas of sandstone, of shale, and of lime­ stone-dolomite. ____________________________________________________________________________ 164 105. Relation of hypothetical longitudinal profiles beginning at an arbitrary datum and length of stream in areas of sandstone, of shale, and of limestone-dolomite.______________________________________________________ 166 106. Relation of mean particle size and length of stream from drainage divide in areas of sandstone, of shale, and of limestone-dolomite______________________„„_______________________________ 167 107. Relation of computed bankfull velocity to size of drainage basin in areas of sandstone, of shale, and of limestone- dolomite_____________________________________________________________________________________ 169 108. Relation of mean particle size and channel slope for three categories of stream length_______________-___--___ 170 109. Relation of the rate of change of log channel slope to log drainage area and rate of change of log mean particle size to log drainage area________________________________________________________ — — ____—— 171 110. Longitudinal profiles of Sixmile Creek, Shaver Creek, and the Little Juniata River, including rock type, channel slope, and mean particle size____________________________________________________________________ 172 TABLES TABLE 1. Summary of the power function equations relating length of stream and size of drainage area._________________ 157 2. The exponents of power function relations in the equations for width, depth, and velocity.___________________ 160 3. Coefficients of the power function equations relating bankfull width, depth, and velocity to discharge._________ 160 4. Analysis of variance of channel slopes for three rock types-__-----__-_-_-----_-_-----_-----__------------ 164 5. Analysis of covariance of slope among adjusted group means of rock types--_---__-_--------_---_---------- 164 6. Analysis of errors of estimate from average regression within groups of rock types.__________________________ 165 7. Analysis of variance of particle size for three rock types_________-_____-__---_______-_---_----__--------- 167 8. Analysis of covariance of particle size for three rock types_______-______-_-___-___-_---------_-_--------- 167 9. Frequency of occurrence of large particles in headwaters of streams in central Pennsylvania._________________ 168 SYMBOLS cross-sectional area of channel Q discharge drainage area Qlf Q3 quartile size j, constant; and length of long axis of particle $2.3 mean annual flood a^ phi skewness Q& bankfull discharge !> exponent; and length of intermediate axis of r correlation coefficient particle S slope of water surface d constant So Trask's sorting coefficient c constant; and length of short axis of particle Svx standard error of estimate d depth of channel v velocity D, particle size W width of drainage