P. D. Pant

ACTIVE FAULTING AND DEFORMATION OF QUATERNARY LANDFORM SUB-HIMALAYA, INDIA

Active Faulting and Deformation of Quaternary Landform Sub-Himalaya, India Landforms developed across terrain defining boundary the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) have imprints of recent tectonic activity. Depositional landforms such as colluvial fan bear signatures of later phases of tectonic activity in the form of faulting of colluvial fan deposits and development of fault scarps. Tectonic geomorphology applied to the MBT zone suggests recent subsurface activity along the MBT and its splay thrusts. Present day tectonic activity of MBT is indicated by ground creeping, thrusting of Lower Siwalik rocks over recent colluvial fan deposit, aligning of series of lakes along splay faults and laterally along a fault, deflected streams, fault scarps and waterfalls. In the present paper we are addressing the tectonic situation in the foothill region of southeastern Kumaun Sub-Himalaya, India based on detailed field work carried out in the region which brought forward some outstanding morphotectonic evidence of neotectonic activities in the MBT zone.

Development of Transverse Fault along North Almora Thrust, Kumaun Lesser Himalaya, India: A Study Based on Field and Magnetic Fabrics

Along the North Almora Thrust (NAT) in the Kumaun Lesser Himalaya, a zone of mylonitic rocks has developed due to strain localization during the tectonic emplacement of the Almora Nappe over the Lesser Himalayan Sequence. This zone is referred here as the NAT zone (NATZ) that is dissected by faults, which are transverse to the Himalayan orographic trend and are known as seismically active structures. Trending NNW-SSE these are the Chaukhutiya and Raintoli faults. Two E-W oriented subsidiary brittle faults across the Chaukhutiya Fault are also recognized. Based on the field study and magnetic fabric analysis an attempt has been made to evaluate the deformation and kinematic history of northeastern margin of the Almora Nappe superposed by the Chaukhutiya faulting that coincides with northeastern margin of the NAT. Field study reveals brittle-ductile and brittle regimes of deformation along the Chaukhutiya Fault. Away from the NAT variable attitudes (E-W or ENE-WSW with gentle dip) of field foliation and axial planes of folds are observed, whereas at and near the NAT the attitudes of beds, including curved lithounits, are steeply dipping and are oriented parallel with the NNW-SSE trending NAT. Curvature in fold hinge line and discontinuous occurrence of lithounits are observed along the fault.Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility (AMS) study of the rocks was carried out. It reveals that the anisotropy is controlled mostly by paramagnetic minerals, whereas ferromagnetic minerals have played a minor role. High temperature demagnetization through hysteresis curves has yielded negligible contribution of ferromagnetic minerals. The steep magnetic foliation is interpreted to be on account of NE-SW oriented progressive regional compression. Moreover, the magnetic foliation is inferred to represent a secondary foliation due to superimposition on primary foliation. Analyses of AMS and structural data indicate that the Chaukhutiya Fault has a strike-slip right lateral displacement including rotational component. AMS results reveal high anisotropy value (Pj) at the surface trace of the NAT and low anisotropy (Pj) away from it. Variable style of deformation is observed along the transverse fault length.

Structural Overview and Morphotectonic Evolution of a Strike-Slip Fault in the Zone of North Almora Thrust, Central Kumaun Himalaya, India

The aim of the present research is to provide the base line details of the NNW-SSE trending Raintoli fault (RF) which is running parallel to the North Almora Thrust (NAT) along the Saryu valley from Seraghat-Naichun to Seri in the central sector of the Uttarakhand Himalaya, India. The RF is characterized as dextral strike slip fault and behaves as a ductile shear zone within the zone of NAT. The dextral sense of shear movement of RF is delineated by the fabric of the shear zone rocks including microscopically observed indicators such as sigma and delta porphyroclasts, quartz c-axis, and the field structural data. Additionally, in the quaternary period the dextral strike slip fault is reactivated with oblique slip component as characterized by various geomorphic indicators, for example, triangular facets, abandoned river channels, unpaired fluvial terraces, and V-shaped valleys with recurrent seismicity. Further, the morphometric parameters including Valley Floor Width to Valley Height ( ), asymmetry factor (AF), and gradient index (GI) further prove active nature of RF as suggested by low values of hypsometric integration, V-shaped valley, higher gradient index, and tilting of Saryu basin.

Landslides and neotectonic activities in the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) zone: Southeastern Kumaun, Uttarakhand

Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) zone is constituted of some of the landslide prone areas in southeastern part of Kumaun Sub-Himalaya. Role of landslides as natural hazard and hill slope modifying agent is well documented from various part of Himalayan region and southern hills of Kumaun particularly in the MBT zone, which are susceptible to various type of mass movement. The rocks making up the slopes has been put to a number of brittle deformation phases during the movement along the MBT, and are traversed by number of joint sets. In the open slope these intersecting joint sets forms wedges and are the most favorable site for initiation of rockfalls and other types of landslides. Landslides are taking place primarily due to high angle slopes, formation of structural wedges along the free steep slopes, sheared nature of the rocks due to proximity to the MBT and neotectonic activities along the MBT and other transverse faults. Wedge failure is a common type of landslides in rock slopes characterized by multiple joints and acts as sliding planes for the failed blocks. Field observations and wedge failure analysis indicates most of the landslides taking place in MBT zone of Kumaun Sub-Himalaya are joint controlled. Safety Factor analysis suggests MBT zone of Kumaun Sub-Himalayan region is prone to landslides and related mass movements. This zone is also neotectonically active as indicated by various geomorphic signatures such as structurally controlled drainage pattern, offsetting of fan by MBT and formation of number of small lakes.