Himalayan

arc
 General Location-
The main Himalayan range runs west to east, from the Indus
river valley to the Brahmaputra river valley, forming an arc
2,400 km long, which varies in width from 400 km in the
western Kashmir-Xinjiang region to 150 km in the eastern 
Tibet-Arunachal Pradesh region.

Co-ordinate-
27°59′17″N ; 86°5
5′31″E
Physiographical Divisions Of The
HIMALAYA-
 Geological Section across the Himalayan
arc--
N

Tibet
Tibet

A
A

Indo
IndoGangetic
Gangeticplain
plain

Indian Shield Geological subdivisions

B of the Himalayas
Indian Shield B
 Geological section across(A-B)
Mt.Everest

44km
kmsteep
steepslope
slope

B A
 TECTONIC CLASSIFICATIONS
 The Himalaya is classically divided into four tectonic units
than can be followed for more than 2400 km along the belt.
Those are-
 1.Sub-Himalayan Zone(siwalik rocks):-essentially composed
of Miocene to Pleistocene molasse type of sediments derived
from the erosion of the Himalaya. These molasses known
as Muree and Siwaliks. Formations are internally folded and
imbricated.
 2.Lesser Himalayan Zone(pre-cambrian rocks):-Upper
Proterozoic to Lower Cenozoic detritus sediments came from
the passive Indian margin intercalated with some granites and
acid volcanics . These low-grade sediments are thrust over
the Sub Himalaya along the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT).
 3.Central Himalayan Zone & Tethis Himalaya:-
Forms the backbone of the himalayan orogen and encompasses the
areas with the highest topographical relief. It is commonly separated
into four zones.
 A)High Himalayan Crystalline Sequence-30 km thick, medium- to
high-grade metamorphic sequence of metasedimentary rocks which are
frequently intruded by granites of Ordovician and Lower Miocene age.
 B) Tethys Himalaya-approximately 100 km large synclinorium,
formed by strongly folded and weakly metamorphosed sedimentary
series. An almost complete stratigraphic record ranging from the Upper
Proterozoic to the Eocene is preserved within the sediments.
 C) Nyimaling–Tso Morari Metamorphic Dome-large dome of
greenschist to eclogitic metamorphic rocks.
 D) Lamayuru and Markha Units- Formed by flyschs and olistholiths
deposited in a turbiditic environment, on the northern part of the
Indian continental slope and in the adjoining Neotethys basin.
 4.Trans Himalayan Zone-- A range branches off from the
central Himalaya in the Tibet. It runs northwest and parallel
to the north of the main range. It is called the Zaskar Range;
averaging 6000 m in height. Beyond the Zaskar Range lies
the gorge of the Indus, about 560 km long, 10 km wide and
5200 m deep between the Indus and the Shyok.
 MAJOR SUTURE ZONES
 Crustal shortening chiefly resulted deformation on
a limited number of major thrust faults. From
south to north, these are the
1.Main Frontal Thrust(MFT)—present between
Indo -Gangatic alluvial plain and sub Himalayan
zone, dipping N-E.
2.Major Boundary Thrust(MBT)—between sub
Himalayan zone and lesser Himalayan zone,
dipping N-E.
3.Main Central Thrust(MCT)– between lesser
Himalayan zone and central Himalayan zone,
dipping N-E.
4.Indus – Tsangpo Suture Zone(ITSZ)-- between
central Himalayan zone and trans Himalayan zone.
This is mainly a thrust zone, a tectonically
distorted one, where angle of thrust is vertical.
Mainly S-W dipping, different from other thrust
zone. It indicates suture zone or line of contact
between Indian plate and Eurasian plate.
 NEOTECTONICS
• Neotectonics is the study of the motions and deformations of the Earth’s crust
which are recent in geologic time.
•Vladimir Obruchev defined as recent tectonic movements occurred in the upper part
of Tertiary (Neogene) & Quaternary , which played an essential role in the origin
of the contemporary topography

In Himalayan region other thrusts and faults are North Almora Thrust , Alaknanda
Fault, Madhyamaheswar Tear Fault , Yamuna Tear Fault , Kirtinagar Fault etc.

Landform due to Neo-tectonics :

• entrenched meandering river
• deep gorges with convex walls
• inter-mountaneous valley
• uplifted, deformed, tilted and multileveled fluvial terraces
• formation of palaeo-lakes
• dismemberments of old landslides
 RIVER TERRACES:
• These are elongated terraces that flank the sides of flood-
plain and fluvial valleys all over the world .These terraces lie
parallel to and above the river channel and its flood-plains.
• Fluvial terraces are underlain by fluvial sediments of highly
variable thickness.
• Fluvial terraces are the remnants of earlier flood-plain that
existed at a time when either a river was flowing at a higher
elevation before its channel downcut to create a new flood-
plain at a lower elevation.
• Fluvial terraces can be used to measure the rate at which
either a stream or river is downcutting its valley.
 Formation of River Terraces
 a) rocky floors from the
interglacial-early glacial
stage,
 b) aggradational plain
from the cold stage
 c) dissection into the
Extension of valley floors bedrock from the
and preservation of
terraces in the wider (A)
following interglacial
and narrow sections (B )
of deepening mountain
valleys
Evidences of Neo tectonics in Tons River
Basin,Dehradun District,Uttaranchal

Location of Tons River Basin

 7 level of terraces are demarcated
on the basis of relative
elevation, degree of oxidation ,
weathering slope morphometry
,degree of consolidation and
composition of clasts.
Up to 4th level at Shamberkhera
Up to 5th level at Atal & Anu
Up to 6th level at Kwanu
Up to 7th level at Asoi

River terraces along the Tons

valley, Dehradun district
 Evidences of Neotectonism : depositional terraces , bench like
terraces, active landslides area ,elbow turning river course,
vertical scraps etc.
•Tons river basin is asymmetric in nature . The drainage basin has a distinct pattern and
geometry due to its development in the presence of active tectonic deformation
during Quaternary period.

•The asymmetry factor is more than 50.

•Presence of hanging valley infers the neo-tectonic activity in the area.

•The original ‘U’ shape glacial valley of Tons has been transformed into ‘V’ shape due to
active incision of the river channel commonly associated with uplift during
Quaternary .

•The river also makes elbow turning , ‘Z’ type and ‘U’ shape bends . This nature of river
channel is due to tectonic adjustments along the major thrusts and faults during the
Quaternary period.
Reference
 Evidences of Neo-tectonics in Tons River Basin , Dehradun, Uttaranchal by
MUNDA & KOTIYAL of GSI, Lucknow
 Climatically Controlled Terraces in Uplifting Mountain Areas by LESZEK
STARKEL

Acknowledgement
I would acknowledge to Prof. Nibir Mandal for his valuable lecture, and I
am also very much grateful to my senior Sitabhra De (IIT, Roorkee), for
supplying study materials.
Thank
Thank You
You