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7. Barbed Pattern


A pattern of drainage in which the confluence of a tributary with the main river is characterised by a discordant junction—as if the tributary intends to flow upstream and not downstream. This pattern is the result of capture of the main river which completely reverses its direction of flow, while the tributaries continue to point in the direction of former flow. The Arun River (Nepal), a tributary of the Kosi is an interesting example of barbed drainage pattern (Fig. 3.2- C).