Q. Which of the following statements regarding Australian river basins and drainage systems are correct?
1.High evaporation rates and low average precipitation across Australia limit the formation of permanent ocean-bound river networks.
2.The Lake Eyre Basin represents a major endorheic (internal) drainage system covering over one million square kilometers.
3.The Murray River originates in the Western Desert and flows north directly into the Gulf of Carpentaria.
4.The principal tributaries of the Murray River system include the Murrumbidgee and Lachlan rivers.
Select the answer using the code given below:
Answer: B
Notes:
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is correct: Due to low overall rainfall and high potential evapotranspiration, much of Australia lacks perennial rivers reaching the sea.
- Statement 2 is correct: The Lake Eyre Basin is one of the largest endorheic drainage systems in the world (covering over 1.2 million ), draining interior rivers into Lake Eyre without an oceanic outlet.
- Statement 3 is incorrect: The Murray River originates in the Snowy Mountains (Great Dividing Range) in the east and flows southwest, not from the Western Desert to the Gulf of Carpentaria.
- Statement 4 is correct: The Murrumbidgee and Lachlan rivers are major right-bank components of the Murray-Darling river basin.
