Analysis of the Morphometric Characteristics and Their Relationship with the River Network Properties of Valley Al-Amghar Basin, Southwestern Al-Muthanna Desert: An Applied Statistical Study

Valley Al-Amghar basin, located in the southwestern part of the Al-Muthanna desert, is characterized by its flat terrain and general topographic smoothness with minimal relief variations. The basin extends over a length of 85.32 km with a low topographic difference of 158 meters, resulting in a gentle slope averaging 1.85. This has significantly influenced sedimentary properties and the flow velocity within the basin. The basin contains 7,747 watercourses, reflecting the impact of topographic factors on the fluvial network's characteristics and including stream orders, lengths, and both numerical and linear drainage densities. The study focuses on the influence of low-gradient terrain on the development of the fluvial network, employing geomorphological indicators such as relative relief, ruggedness ratio, and hypsometric integral. Stream orders are classified using Strahler's method. Results indicate that larger sub-basins exhibit a greater number and length of streams, with a positive correlation between basin area and stream number, and an inverse relationship between hypsometric integral and topography. Stream density increases in areas with moderate slopes and softer lithology, while the hypsometric integral decreases as ruggedness increases.