Aerial photographs in the scale of 1:25.000 were used to study the drainage network and its Quantitative and descriptive characteristics in 3 areas located in Paraná , for soils developed from basaltic rocks. The soil mapping units were the following: reddish brunizen or an argiudoll, terra roxa estruturada or a rodudalf and "roxo" latosol or an acrortox. The drainage density, river frequency and texture ratio, in watersheds were the best index for characterizing the soil unit. Also, they were useful in the separation of watersheds with inclusion of different soils. By using the geometric test, it was possible to obtain "groups" of watersheds representatives of the same soil. There was a close correlation between drainage density and weathering index, for soils developed from basaltic rocks.
photointerpretation; drainage pattern; basaltic rocks; watersheds
