Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Normal Faults near the Top of Footwall of Ramgarh Thrust along Kosi River Valley, Kumaun Lesser Himalaya


Affiliations
1 Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun 248 001, India
 

Conjugate sets of normal faults formed in the Quaternary fan sediments lying near the top of footwall rocks of the Ramgarh Thrust are analysed. These faults are recognized on left hillslope of Kosi River valley, Kumaun Lesser Himalaya. The Ramgarh Thrust marks the mountain front of the uplifted Central Crystallines, which have been under thrust along the Ramgarh Thrust by its footwall of the Nagthat Formation belonging to the Lesser Himalayan Sequence. The existence of a regional-scale footwall anticlinal structure along the Kosi River suggests that the compressional stress regime is active in the subsurface region related to the Himalayan thrust tectonics. Analysis of structural data reveals that the normal faults have been formed by pure shear due to gravity. The WNW-ESE trending normal faults are recognized within the Quaternary fan deposit and also at the top of the country rocks just below and adjacent to the fan deposit. Therefore, it is interpreted that the deformation related to N-S extensional tectonics has taken place at the uppermost crustal level due to gravity, where influence of the Himalayan subsurface compressional tectonics is no more significant.

Keywords

Fan Sediments, Footwall Rocks, Kumaun Himalayas, Normal and Ridge Faults, Thrust Tectonics.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Valdiya, K. S., Geology and Natural Environment of Nainital Hills, Gyanodaya Prashan, Nianital, 1988, p. 160.

  • Valdiya, K. S., Tectonics and evolution of the central sector of the Himalaya. Philos. Trans. R. Soc., London Ser. A, 1988, 326, 151-175.

  • Mehta, J. S. and Sanwal, R., Evidence of active tectonics along oblique transverse normal fault in the Kosi River valley around Betalghat, Kumaun Lesser Himalaya, India. Curr. Sci., 2011, 101, 541-543.

  • Luirei, K., Bhakuni, S. S., Kothyari, G. Ch., Tripathi, K. and Pant, P. D., Quaternary compressional and extensional tectonics revealed from Quaternary landforms along Kosi River valley, outer Kumaun Lesser Himalaya. Int. J. Earth Sci. (Geol. Rundsch.), 2015; doi:10.1007/s00531-015-1204-0.

  • Yhokha, A., Chang, C.-P., Goswami, P. K., Yen, J.-Y. and Lee, S.-I., Surface deformation in the Himalaya zone and adjoining piedmont of the Ganga Plain, Uttarakhand, India: determined by different radar interferometric techniques. J. Asian Earth Sci., 2015, 106, 119-129.

  • Valdiya, K. S., The Main Boundary Thrust Zone, India. Ann. Tecton., 1992, IV, 54-84.

  • Bali, R., Bhattacharya, A. R. and Singh, T. N., Active tectonics in the outer Himalaya: dating a landslide event in the Kumaun sector. e-J. Earth Sci. India, 2009, 2, 276-288.

  • Valdiya, K. S., Sharma, P. K., Rana, R. S. and Dey, P., Active Himalayan Fault, Main Boundary Thrust and Ramgarh Thrust in southern Kumaun. J. Geol. Soc. India, 1992, 40, 509-528.

  • Valdiya, K. S., Uplift and geomorphic rejuvenation of the Himalaya in the Quaternary period. Curr. Sci., 1993, 64, 873-885.

  • Kothyari, G. Ch., Pant, P. D., Joshi, M., Luirei, K. and Malik, J.N., Active faulting and deformation of Quaternary landforms, Sub Himalaya, India. Geochronomeria, 2010, 37, 63-71.

  • Kothyari, G. Ch., Pant, P. D. and Luirei, K., Landslides and neotectonic activities in the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) zone: southeastern Kumaun, Uttarakhand. J. Geol. Soc. India, 2012, 80, 101-110.

  • Luirei, K., Bhakuni, S. S., Suresh, N., Kothyari, G. Ch. and Pant, P. D., Tectonic geomorphology and morphometry of the frontal part of Kumaun Sub-Himalaya: appraisal of tectonic activity. Z.Geomorphol., 2014; doi:10.1127/0372-8854/2014/0134.

  • Pant, P. D., Chauhan, R. and Bhakuni, S. S., Development of transverse fault along North Almora Thrust, Kumaun Lesser Himalaya, India: a study based on field and magnetic fabrics.J. Geol. Soc. India, 2012, 79, 429-448.

  • Thakur, V. C., Rautela, P. and Jafaruddin, M., Normal faults in Panjal Thrust zone in Lesser Himalaya and between the Higher Himalayan Crystallines and Chamba sequence in Kashmir Himalaya, India. Proc. India Acad. Sci. (Earth Planet Sci.), 1995, 104, 499-508.

  • Singh, C., Singh, A., Bharathi, V. K. S., Bansal, A. R. and Chadha, R. K., Frequency-dependent body wave attenuation characteristics in the Kumaun Himalaya. Tectonophysics, 2012, 524-525, 37-42.

  • Patel, R. C., Adlakha, V., Lala, N., Singh, P. and Kumar, Y., Spatiotemporal variation in exhumation of crystallines in the NWHimalaya, India: constraints from fission tract dating analysis.Tectonophysics, 2011, 504, 1-13.

  • Singh, P., Patel, R. C. and Lal, N., Plio-Pleistocene in-sequence thrust propagation along the Main Central Thrust zone (Kumaon- Garhwal Himalaya, India): new thermochronological data. Tectonophysics, 2012, 574-575, 193-203.

  • Patel, R. C., Singh, P. and Lal, N., Thrusting and back-thrusting as post-emplacement kinematics of the Almora klippe: insights from low-temperature thermochronology. Tectonophysics, 2015, 653, 41-51.

  • Mahesh, P., Gupta, S., Saikia, U. and Rai, S. S., Seismotectonics and crustal stress field in the Kumaon-Garhwal Himalaya. Tectonophysics, 2015, 655, 124-138.

  • Nakata, T., Geomorphic history and crustal movements of foothills of the Himalayas. Science Report, Tohoku University, 7th Series (Geography), 1972, vol. 22, pp. 39-177.

  • Nakata, T., Active faults of the Himalaya of India and Nepal.Geol. Soc. Am. Spec. Pap., 1989, 232, 243-264.

  • Adams, B. A., Hodges, K. V., Van Soest, M. C. and Whipple, K.X., Evidence of Pliocene-Quaternary normal faulting in the hinterland of the Bhutan Himalaya. Lithosphere, 2013, 5, 438- 449.

  • Celeier, J., Harrison, T. M., Alexander, A., Webb, G. and Yin, A., The Kumaun and Garhwal Lesser Himalaya, India: Part 1. Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., 2009, 121, 1262-1280.

  • Valdiya, K. S., Geology of Kumaun Lesser Himalaya, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, 1980, p. 291.

  • Trivedi, J. R., Goplani, K. and Valdiya, K. S., Rb-Sr ages of the granitic rocks within the Lesser Himalayan nappes, Kumaun, India. J. Geol. Soc. India, 1984, 25, 641-654.

  • Murray, A. S. and Wintle, A. G., Luminescence dating of quartz using an improved single aliquot regenerative-dose protocol. Radiat. Meas., 2000, 32, 57-73.

  • Murphy, M. A., Saylor, J. E. and Ding, L., Late Miocene topographic inversion in southwest Tibet based on integrated paleoelevation reconstructions and structural history. Earth Planet. Sci.Lett., 2009, 282, 1-9.

  • Hintersberger, E., Thiede, R. C. and Strecker, M. R., The role of extension during brittle deformation within the NW Indian Himalaya. Tectonics, 2011, 30; doi:10.1029/2010TC002822.

  • Ni, J. and Barazangi, M., Active tectonics of the western Tethyan Himalaya above the underthrusting Indian Plate: the Upper Sutlej River Basin as a pull-apart structure. Tectonophysics, 1985, 112, 277-295.

  • Dubey, A. K. and Bhakuni, S. S., Development of extensional faults on the oblique thrust ramp hanging wall: example from the Tethys Himalaya. J. Asian Earth Sci., 2004, 23, 427-434.

  • Agarwal, K. K. and Sharma, V. K., Quaternary tilt-block tectonic in parts of Eastern Kumaun Himalaya, India. Z. Geomorphol., 2011, 55, 197-208.

  • Banerjee, P. and Burgmann, R., Convergence across the northwest Himalaya from GPS measurements. Geophys. Res. Lett., 2002, 29; 10.1029/2002GL015184.


Abstract Views: 358

PDF Views: 202




  • Normal Faults near the Top of Footwall of Ramgarh Thrust along Kosi River Valley, Kumaun Lesser Himalaya

Abstract Views: 358  |  PDF Views: 202

Authors

S. S. Bhakuni
Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun 248 001, India
Khayingshing Luirei
Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun 248 001, India

Abstract


Conjugate sets of normal faults formed in the Quaternary fan sediments lying near the top of footwall rocks of the Ramgarh Thrust are analysed. These faults are recognized on left hillslope of Kosi River valley, Kumaun Lesser Himalaya. The Ramgarh Thrust marks the mountain front of the uplifted Central Crystallines, which have been under thrust along the Ramgarh Thrust by its footwall of the Nagthat Formation belonging to the Lesser Himalayan Sequence. The existence of a regional-scale footwall anticlinal structure along the Kosi River suggests that the compressional stress regime is active in the subsurface region related to the Himalayan thrust tectonics. Analysis of structural data reveals that the normal faults have been formed by pure shear due to gravity. The WNW-ESE trending normal faults are recognized within the Quaternary fan deposit and also at the top of the country rocks just below and adjacent to the fan deposit. Therefore, it is interpreted that the deformation related to N-S extensional tectonics has taken place at the uppermost crustal level due to gravity, where influence of the Himalayan subsurface compressional tectonics is no more significant.

Keywords


Fan Sediments, Footwall Rocks, Kumaun Himalayas, Normal and Ridge Faults, Thrust Tectonics.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv110%2Fi4%2F640-648