---
title: "Trellis Drainage Pattern: Definition & Examples"
description: "A trellis drainage pattern features short tributaries joining longer streams at right angles, crucial for UPSC GS1 geomorphology studies."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/trellis-drainage-pattern"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- A trellis drainage pattern is a rectangular network in which short tributaries join longer parallel main streams at near right angles, controlled by alternating bands of hard and soft folded rock.
- How does a trellis drainage pattern differ from a rectangular pattern?
- What types of streams make up a trellis system?
- What geological setting produces a trellis pattern?
- Why is the trellis pattern important for terrain analysis?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

A trellis drainage pattern is a rectangular network in which short tributaries join longer parallel main streams at near right angles, controlled by alternating bands of hard and soft folded rock.

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Example

In a 2021 UPSC General Studies Paper I question, candidates were asked to identify the drainage pattern of the Appalachian ridge-and-valley province, where strike-aligned tributaries of the Susquehanna River meet trunk streams at right angles—a textbook trellis pattern.

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