Lithologic Controls on Headwater Stream Morphology in the Eastern Appalachian Plateau, West Virginia

The processes in headwater streams are little understood. In order to understand hydraulic geometries, grain size, and stream power in headwater stream channels, datasets were collected in 157 reaches in 31 tributaries draining <10km ² in the Appalachian Plateau in West Virginia. Methods of data collection were comprised of channel surveys, measurements of bankfull width, pebble-clast counts, and computer-generated data from digital elevation models. Decreases in stream gradient correlated with increases in drainage area and decreases in median grain size. The lack of correlation between median grain size and drainage area stands in contrast to a positive, log-linear correlation between unit stream power and median grain size. Fluctuations of unit stream power reflect systemic changes of reach gradients and widths. The power relationships between hydraulic geometry, median grain size, and unit stream power suggest that modeling of mountainous, but stream-dominated, landscapes may be possible using relatively simple rules.