Characteristics of the Drainage Network of the Wadi Al-Mahboul Basin in the Green Mountain Region and the Application of Hydrological Mathematical Analysis to the Basin

Abstract

This study addresses the morphometric analysis of the drainage network of the al-Mahbul Valley basin, which is one of the valleys located within a semi-humid region with rugged terrain in the northeastern area of the Green Mountain. This valley is situated 40 km west of the city of Derna and 11 km south of the Ras al-Hilal area, originating from the Green Mountain and flowing into the Mediterranean Sea. Studies and research have shown that the basin includes several geological formations, some dating back to the Tertiary period and others to the Quaternary period. It features a rugged surface between contour lines of 600 m at the sources and 0 m above sea level at the outlet, and it has a semi-humid, moderate climate in summer with heavy rainfall in winter. Additionally, the basin has been influenced by various geological times that have shaped the features of most landforms in the basin, along with the diversity of vegetation cover and variations in its density.
The research relied on Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and remote sensing data to calculate and load the morphometric characteristics of the basin. The identification of the characteristics of the basin's drainage network reflected the nature of the geomorphological factors and processes affecting it. The results indicated that the drainage network is of the third order, with variations in their numbers and lengths. The rates of river drainage density varied due to soil permeability, rock composition, rainfall amounts, temperature rates, evaporation, and slope rates in the basin, in addition to the retention rate of the channel and the river branching ratio, reflecting the geological, structural, climatic, and topographical homogeneity of the basin. The river drainage patterns ranged between dendritic and parallel.