The Kathmandu Basin is an intermontane basin located in the center of a large syncline in the Lesser Himalayas (Gansser, 1964;

Schelling, 1992). This syncline is bounded by gneiss of the Sheopuri Lekh towards the north and to the south by granitic rocks of the Mahabharat Range (Stocklin and Bhattarai, 1986). The distorted flanks of the syncline are leading to small-scale anticlines and synclines cut by numerous faults running parallel (E-W) or at low angles to strike (WNW-ESE). A Cambrian to Devonian age has been assigned by Stocklin and Bhattarai (1986) to the slates, phyllites, siltstones and sandstones of the Tistung Formation and the Chandragiri Limestone. Both are the members of the Phulchauki Group, which form the basement of the Kathmandu Basin. In places, Quaternary sediments were deposited around ridges extending across the southwestern part of the basin. The Kathmandu Valley measures approximately 30 km in EW and 25 km in NS direction leading to a nearly circular outline of the basin. The floor of the valley, currently between 1250 and 1400 m, is surrounded by ridges of approximately 2000 m in elevation. At present, the basin is drained by the Bagmati River.

The balkhu River basin