An overview of the stratigraphy and tectonics of the Nepal Himalaya

Nepal can be divided into the following five east–west trending major tectonic zones. (i) The Terai Tectonic Zone which consists of over one km of Recent alluvium concealing the Churia Group (Siwalik equivalents) and underlying rocks of northern Peninsular India. Recently active southward-propagating thrusts and folds beneath the Terai have affected both the underlying Churia and the younger sediments. (ii) The Churia Zone, which consists of Neogene to Quaternary foreland basin deposits and forms the Himalayan mountain front. The Churia Zone represents the most tectonically active part of the Himalaya. Recent sedimentologic, geochronologic and paleomagnetic studies have yielded a much better understanding of the provenance, paleoenvironment of deposition and the ages of these sediments. The Churia Group was deposited between ∼14 Ma and ∼1 Ma. Sedimentary rocks of the Churia Group form an archive of the final drama of Himalayan uplift. Involvement of the underlying northern Peninsular Indian rocks in the active tectonics of the Churia Zone has also been recognised. Unmetamorphosed Phanerozoic rocks of Peninsular India underlying the Churia Zone that are involved in the Himalayan orogeny may represent a transitional environment between the Peninsula and the Tethyan margin of the continent. (iii) The Lesser Himalayan Zone, in which mainly Precambrian rocks are involved, consists of sedimentary rocks that were deposited on the Indian continental margin and represent the southernmost facies of the Tethyan sea. Panafrican diastrophism interrupted the sedimentation in the Lesser Himalayan Zone during terminal Precambrian time causing a widespread unconformity. That unconformity separates over 12 km of unfossiliferous sedimentary rocks in the Lesser Himalaya from overlying fossiliferous rocks which are >3 km thick and range in age from Permo-Carboniferous to Lower to Middle Eocene. The deposition of the Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene fluvial Dumri Formation records the emergence of the Himalayan mountains from under the sea. The Dumri represents the earliest foreland basin deposit of the Himalayan orogen in Nepal. Lesser Himalayan rocks are less metamorphosed than the rocks of the overlying Bhimphedis nappes and the crystalline rocks of the Higher Himalayan Zone. A broad anticline in the north and a corresponding syncline in the south along the Mahabharat range, as well as a number of thrusts and faults are the major structures of the Lesser Himalayan Zone which is thrust over the Churia Group along the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT). (iv) The crystalline high-grade metamorphic rocks of the Higher Himalayan Zone form the backbone of the Himalaya and give rise to its formidable high ranges. The Main Central Thrust (MCT) marks the base of this zone. Understanding the origin, timing of movement and associated metamorphism along the MCT holds the key to many questions about the evolution of the Himalaya. For example: the question of whether there is only one or whether there are two MCTs has been a subject of prolonged discussion without any conclusion having been reached. The well-known inverted metamorphism of the Himalaya and the late orogenic magmatism are generally attributed to movement along the MCT that brought a hot slab of High Himalayan Zone rocks over the cold Lesser Himalayan sequence. Harrison and his co-workers, as described in a paper in this volume, have lately proposed a detailed model of how this process operated. The rocks of the Higher Himalayan Zone are generally considered to be Middle Cambrian to Late Proterozoic in age. (v) The Tibetan Tethys Zone is represented by Cambrian to Cretaceous-Eocene fossiliferous sedimentary rocks overlying the crystalline rocks of the Higher Himalaya along the Southern Tibetan Detachment Fault System (STDFS) which is a north dipping normal fault system. The fault has dragged down to the north a huge pile of the Tethyan sedimentary rocks forming some of the largest folds on the Earth. Those sediments are generally considered to have been deposited in a more distal part of the Tethys than were the Lesser Himalayan sediments.The present tectonic architecture of the Himalaya is dominated by three master thrusts: the Main Central Thrust (MCT), the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) and the Main Frontal Thrust (MFT). The age of initiation of these thrusts becomes younger from north to south, with the MCT as the oldest and the MFT as the youngest. All these thrusts are considered to come together at depth in a flat-lying decollement called the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT). The Mahabharat Thrust (MT), an intermediate thrust between the MCT and the MBT is interpreted as having brought the Bhimphedi Group out over the Lesser Himalayan rocks giving rise to Lesser Himalayan nappes containing crystalline rocks. The position of roots of these nappes is still debated. The Southern Tibetan Detachment Fault System (STDFS) has played an important role in unroofing the higher Himalayan crystalline rocks.     

Biostratigraphic and detrital zircon age constraints on the basement of the Himalayan Foreland Basin: Implications for a Proterozoic link to the Lesser Himalaya and cratonic India

The Himalayan Foreland Basin in the Ganga Valley is key to assessing the pre‐collision relationship between cratonic India and the Himalaya – the world's largest mountain chain. The subsurface Ganga Supergroup, representing the sedimentary basement of the Ganga Valley, has been interpreted as a northern extension of the Proterozoic Vindhyan Supergroup in cratonic India. This interpretation is contentious because the depositional age of the Ganga Supergroup is not resolved: whereas the lower Ganga Supergroup is widely regarded as Proterozoic, the upper Ganga Supergroup has been variously inferred to include Neoproterozoic, lower Palaeozoic, or Cretaceous strata. Here, we integrate biostratigraphic and detrital zircon data from drill cores to show that the entire Ganga Supergroup is likely Proterozoic and can be correlated with Proterozoic successions on the northern Indian craton and in the Lesser Himalaya. This helps redefine the first‐order stratigraphic architecture and indicates broad depositional continuity along the northern Indian margin during the Proterozoic.     

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.     

The two intracrustal boundary thrusts of the Himalaya

The series of four different, steeply inclined thrusts which sharply sever the youthful autochthonous Cenozoic sedimentary zone, including the Siwalik, from the mature old Lesser Himalayan subprovince is collectively known as the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT). In the proximity of this trust in northwestern and eastern sectors, the parautochtonous Lesser Himalayan sedimentary formations are pushed up and their narrow frontal parts split into imbricate sheets with attendant repetition and inversion of lithostratigraphic units. The superficially steeper thrust plane seems to flatten out at depth. The MBT is tectonically and seismically very active at the present time.The Main Central Thrust (MCT), inclined 30° to 45° northwards, constitutes the real boundary between the Lesser and Great Himalaya. Marking an abrubt change in the style and orientation of structures and in the grade of metamorphism from lower amphibolitefacies of the Lesser Himalayan to higher metamorphic facies of the Great Himalayan, the redefined Main Central Thrust lies at a higher level as that originally recognized by A. Heim and A. Gansser. They had recognized this thrust as the contact of the mesozonal metamorphics against the underlying sedimentaries or epimetamorphics. It has now been redesignated as the Munsiari Thrust in Kumaun. It extends northwest in Himachal as the Jutogh Thrust and farther in Kashmir as the Panjal Thrust. In the eastern Himalaya the equivalents of the Munsiari Thrust are known as the Paro Thrust and the Bomdila Thrust. The upper thrust surface in Nepal is recognized as the Main Central Thrust by French and Japanese workers. The easterly extension of the MCT is known as the Khumbu Thrust in eastern Nepal, the Darjeeling Thrust in the Darjeeling-Sikkim region, the Thimpu Thrust in Bhutan and the Sela Thrust in western Arunachal. Significantly, hot springs occur in close proximity to this thrust in Kumaun, Nepal and Bhutan. There are reasons to believe that movement is taking place along the MCT, although seismically it is less active than the MBT.     

Tectonic controls on the geomorphic evolution of alluvial fans in the Piedmont Zone of Ganga Plain,Uttarakhand, India

The Piedmont Zone is the least studied part of the Ganga Plain. The northern limit of the Piedmont Zone is defined by the Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT) along which the Himalaya is being thrust over the alluvium of the Ganga Plain. Interpretation of satellite imagery, Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) and field data has helped in the identification and mapping of various morphotectonic features in the densely forested and cultivated Piedmont Zone in the Kumaun region of the Uttarakhand state of India. The Piedmont Zone has formed as a result of coalescing alluvial fans, alluvial aprons and talus deposits. The fans have differential morphologies and aggradation processes within a common climatic zone and similar litho-tectonic setting of the catchment area. Morphotectonic analysis reveals that the fan morphologies and aggradation processes in the area are mainly controlled by the ongoing tectonic activities. Such activities along the HFT and transverse faults have controlled the accommodation space by causing differential subsidence of the basin, and aggradation processes by causing channel migration, channel incision and shifting of depocentres. The active tectonic movements have further modified the landscape of the area in the form of tilted alluvial fan, gravel ridges, terraces and uplifted gravels.     

Stromatolites and Precambrian stratigraphy in India

Most of the Proterozoic carbonate formations of Peninsular India, and the so-called ‘unfossiliferous’ carbonates of the Sub- and Lesser Himalaya, contain abundant columnar and branching stromatolites. Systematic study of some of these stromatolites supports their use in biostratigraphy and reveals their Riphean—Proterozoic affinity. A synthesis of stromatolite studies in India has been attempted. A biostratigraphic correlation of the stromatolitic formations of Sub- and Lesser Himalaya extending from Jammu in the west to Buxa in the eastern Himalaya has been established. A probable correlation of those of Peninsular India has been indicated, based on available information. A bibliography on Indian stromatolites is appended.     

Tectonic control on exhumation and seismicity in the Garhwal‐Kumaun Himalaya,NW‐India

Despite similar geological and tectonic setting along the Himalayan orogen, distinct thermochronological/exhumational and seismicity variability exists between the Kumaun and the Garhwal regions of the NW‐ Himalaya. The processes responsible for such variability are still debated. To understand this, published thermochronological ages from several traverses across the Higher Himalayan Crystalline (HHC) and Lesser Himalayan Crystalline (LHC) have been correlated with the seismicity pattern in both Garhwal and Kumaun segments. The seismicity pattern coincides with the zone of rapid uplift and exhumation. The profiles of seismicity across the Kumaun and the Garhwal regions agree with the existence of the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT) underlying the regions and reflect its geometry and architecture. Slip along the MHT is responsible for occurrence of seismicity on decade time‐scale and exhumation pattern on Myr time‐scale of the Himalaya.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987113000054

Substantial part of the northern margin of Indian plate is subducted beneath the Eurasian plate during the Caenozoic Himalayan orogeny, obscuring older tectonic events in the Lesser Himalaya known to host Proterozoic sedimentary successions and granitic bodies. Tectonostratigraphic units of the Proterozoic Lesser Himalayan sequence (LHS) of Eastern Himalaya, namely the Daling Group in Sikkim and the Bomdila Group in Arunachal Pradesh, provide clues to the nature and extent of Proterozoic passive margin sedimentation, their involvement in pre-Himalayan orogeny and implications for supercontinent reconstruction. The Daling Group, consisting of flaggy quartzite, meta-greywacke and metapelite with minor mafic dyke and sill, and the overlying Buxa Formation with stromatolitic carbonate-quartzite-slate, represent shallow marine, passive margin platformal association. Similar lithostratigraphy and broad depositional framework, and available geochronological data from intrusive granites in Eastern Himalaya indicate strikewise continuity of a shallow marine Paleoproterozoic platformal sequence up to Arunachal Pradesh through Bhutan. Multiple fold sets and tectonic foliations in LHS formed during partial or complete closure of the sea/ocean along the northern margin of Paleoproterozoic India. Such deformation fabrics are absent in the upper Palaeozoic–Mesozoic Gondwana formations in the Lesser Himalaya of Darjeeling-Sikkim indicating influence of older orogeny. Kinematic analysis based on microstructure, and garnet composition suggest Paleoproterozoic deformation and metamorphism of LHS to be distinct from those associated with the foreland propagating thrust systems of the Caenozoic Himalayan collisional belt. Two possibilities are argued here: (1) the low greenschist facies domain in the LHS enveloped the amphibolite to granulite facies domains, which were later tectonically severed; (2) the older deformation and metamorphism relate to a Pacific type accretionary orogen which affected the northern margin of greater India. Better understanding of geodynamic evolution of the northern margin of India in the Paleoproterozoic has additional bearing on more refined model of reconstruction of Columbia.     

Structural set up in northern part of Kumaun Himalaya

The Main Central Thrust (MCT) and the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) are the two major thrusts in Kumaun, the MCT forming the boundary between highly sheared, deformed and mylonitized rocks of the Great Himalayan Central Crystallines and the Lesser Himalayan metasedimentaries. While in the Central Crystallines four-folding episodes are observed of which two are of the Precambrian age, the Lesser Himalayan rocks show only two phases of folding. MCT has its own distinctive structural history and the crystalline mass comprises an integral part of peninsular India.     

塔里木盆地玉北构造带断层特征及其裂缝分析

塔里木盆地玉北构造带形成于加里东中晚期, 主要断裂以挤压逆冲为主, 早期形成断层传播褶皱样式, 断层总体终止于石炭系/奥陶系不整合面之下.该地区奥陶系碳酸盐岩储层易发育断层伴生裂缝和褶皱调节性裂缝, 主要分布在膝褶带和断层传播褶皱区.海西晚期玉北地区断裂重新活动, 仍以挤压为主形成三角剪切样式, 但断层位移量并不大, 该时期玉北构造带基本定型, 储层裂缝易发育在三角剪切变形区.喜马拉雅期玉北地区存在微弱构造变形, 玉北构造带主要受到构造的叠加改造.新生代青藏高原向东的扩张产生北东-南西向的构造应力场, 使得北东-南西向的玉北断裂带具有开启性, 对玉北地区油气调整和聚集会有一定的影响.     

Salt tectonics in pull-apart basins with application to the Dead Sea Basin

The Dead Sea Basin displays a broad range of salt-related structures that developed in a sinistral strike-slip tectonic environment: en échelon salt ridges, large salt diapirs, transverse oblique normal faults, salt walls and rollovers. Laboratory experiments are used to investigate the mechanics of salt tectonics in pull-apart systems. The results show that in an elongated pull-apart basin the basin fill, although decoupled from the underlying basement by a salt layer, remains frictionally coupled to the boundary. The basin fill, therefore, undergoes a strike-slip shear couple that simultaneously generates en échelon fold trains and oblique normal faults, trending mutually perpendicular. According to the orientation of basin boundaries, sedimentary cover deformation can be dominantly contractional or extensional, at the extremities of pull-apart basins forming either folds and thrusts or normal faults, respectively. These guidelines, applied to the analysis of the Dead Sea Basin, show that the various salt-related structures form a coherent set in the frame of a sinistral strike-slip shearing deformation of the sedimentary basin fill.     

Pre-Tertiary felsic magmatism of the Nepal Himalaya: recycling of continental crust

At least seven different groups of felsic magmatic rocks have been observed in the Lesser and Higher Himalayan units of Nepal. Six of them are pre-Himalayan. The Ulleri Lower Proterozoic augen gneiss extends along most of the length of the Lesser Himalaya of Nepal and represents a Precambrian felsic volcanism or plutono-volcanism, mainly recycling continental crustal material; this volcanism has contributed sediment to the lower group of formations of the Lesser Himalaya. The Ampipal alkaline gneiss is a small elongated body appearing as a window at the base of the Lesser Himalayan formations of central Nepal; it originated as a Precambrian nepheline syenite pluton, contaminated by lower continental crust. The “Lesser Himalayan” granitic belt is well represented in Nepal by nine large granitic plutons; these Cambro-Ordovician peraluminous, generally porphyritic, granites, only occur in the crystaline nappes; they were probably produced by large-scale melting of the continental crust at the northern tip of the Indian craton, during a general episode of thinning of Gondwana continent with heating and mantle injection of the crust. The Formation III augen gneisses of the Higher Himalaya, such as the augen gneiss of the Higher Himalayan crystalline nappes (Gosainkund) are coeval to the “Lesser Himalayan” granites, and their more metamorphic (lower amphibolite grade) equivalents. Limited outcrops of Cretaceous trachytic volcanism lie along the southern limb of the Lesser Himalaya and are coeval with spilitic volcanism in the Higher Himalayan sedimentary series. This volcanism foreshadows the general uplift of the Indian margin before the Himalayan collision. The predominance of felsic over basic magmatism in the 2.5 Ga-long evolution of the Himalayan domain constitutes an unique example of recycling of continental material with very limited addition of juvenile mantle products.     

Depositional environment and provenance of Middle Siwalik sediments in Tista valley,Darjiling District,Eastern Himalaya,India

The frontal part of the active, wedge-shaped Indo-Eurasian collision boundary is defined by the Himalayan fold-and-thrust belt whose foreland basin accumulated sediments that eventually became part of the thrust belt and is presently exposed as the sedimentary rocks of the Siwalik Group. The rocks of the Siwalik Group have been extensively studied in the western and Nepal Himalaya and have been divided into the Lower, Middle and Upper Subgroups. In the Darjiling–Sikkim Himalaya, the Upper Siwalik sequence is not exposed and the Middle Siwalik Subgroup exposed in the Tista river valley of Darjiling Himalaya preserves a ~325 m thick sequence of sandstone, conglomerate and shale. The Middle Siwalik section has been repeated by a number of north dipping thrusts. The sedimentary facies and facies associations within the lithostratigraphic column of the Middle Siwalik rocks show temporal repetition of sedimentary facies associations suggesting oscillation between proximal-, mid- and distal fan setups within a palaeo-alluvial fan depositional environment similar to the depositional setup of the Siwalik sediments in other parts of the Himalaya. These oscillations are probably due to a combination of foreland-ward movement of Himalayan thrusts, climatic variations and mountain-ward shift of fan-apex due to erosion. The Middle Siwalik sediments were derived from Higher- and Lesser Himalayan rocks. Mineral characteristics and modal analysis suggest that sedimentation occurred in humid climatic conditions similar to the moist humid climate of the present day Eastern Himalaya.     

Extensional tectonic activity in the cratonward parts (peripheral bulge) of the Ganga Plain foreland basin,India

Flexural subsidence of the Indian lithosphere created the foreland basin in front of the emerging Himalayan mountain belt. The continued northward push of the Indian plate and thrust sheet loading in the Himalayan orogen caused an up-warping along its cratonward margin, in the form of a regional gentle bulge. In the cratonward peripheral bulge small-scale to moderate size deformation features, e.g., gentle folds (up-arching of the sediment layers), extensional normal faults and uplifted tilted blocks, and incised river channels with 20-60-m-high cliffs, developed. Cliff sections of many rivers in this cratonward part of the foreland basin expose deposits of latest Pleistocene-Holocene age and show evidences of active tectonics in the last few thousand years: vertical uplift leading to deep incision of the river system, development of prominent fractures cutting through the sedimentary succession, bending and tilting of the strata, and tilted blocks. In the Late Quaternary relaxation phase of the Himalayan orogen-foreland, there is increased vertical tectonic activity in the region of the peripheral bulge. The vertical uplift in this part of the Ganga Plain foreland basin caused the rivers (including the axial rivers) to make further deep incision without shifting from their courses. During periods of increased tectonic activity in the Himalayan region, i.e., the addition of thrust slices more rapidly, probably caused the maximum down-bending in the proximal part of the Ganga plain foreland basin. The high amplitude and asymmetric nature of this foreland basin is partly controlled by extensional tectonism.     

Characteristics of plastic deformation of quartz

The fold-thrust tectonics in the Northern Tarim Basin, oriented roughly parallel to the South Tianshan orogenic belt, consists of two large-scale tectonic regimes: (1) the foreland-basin, thin-skinned deformation belt; and (2) the foreland-craton, thick-skinned-dominated (i.e., basement-involved) deformation belt. Variations in the degree of deformation in these tectonic belts and style along the regional tectonic strike can be accounted for by longitudinal (progressive) transfer or transverse (abrupt) transfer. Longitudinal transfer maintains the overall displacement or shortening within the fold-thrust belts as uniform or with gradual change along the tectonic strike. This includes the tectonic transfer between en echelon master thrusts and from the individual master thrust to terminal fold (s) or distributive thrusts. Transverse transfer resulted from an abrupt change in overall displacement or shortening along the tectonic strike. Within the transverse transfer zone, various tectonics—such as strike-slip faults, strike-slip thrusts, transverse anticlines, and en echelon folds—are developed.

The development of longitudinal transfer zones can be attributed to the gradual variation of intrinsic and extrinsic deformational conditions along the tectonic strike. The initiation of transverse transfer may be related to variations in the thickness of sedimentary layers, detachment-layer distribution limits, and variation along strike of the degree and mode of the South Tianshan orogenic belt's effect on the basin, as well as the variation of the boundary conditions of the deformation, such as in the geometry of plate margins.     

Structural characterization of the fracture systems in the porcelanites: Comparing data from the Monterey Formation in California USA and the Sap Bon Formation in Central Thailand

The fractures in the porcelanites from the Monterey Formation in California USA and the Sap Bon Formation in Central Thailand were documented for a comparative study of their modes, distribution, and their relationship to other structures such as folds and bedding planes. Both formations consist in thinly bedded stiff units that are prone to folding, flexural slip, and cross-bedding brittle fracturing under compression. There are two assemblages in the porcelanites. The first assemblage includes commonly vertical high-angle opening mode fractures, left-lateral strike-slip faults, normal faults, and thrust faults. The second one is sub-horizontal fractures which are associated with folds, bedding slip, and thrusts faults in both Monterey and Sap Bon formations. The structural architectures of these rocks and the associated groups of structures are remarkably similar in terms of both opening and shearing modes and their relationships with the bedding due to their depositional architecture and the compressional tectonic regimes, in spite of the fact that the two locations are more than ten thousand kilometers apart and have very different ages of deformation.     

Stratigraphy of the Lesser Himalayan rocks in Kumaun

The geology of Kumaun Lesser Himalaya falls within three main tectonic units, viz the Almora Nappe, Inner Krol Nappe and the Outer Krol Nappe, and the three units comprising the entire succession occur in five distinct zones or belts. The stratigraphy of the area has been revised on the basis of the occurrences of chloritic horizons (spilites) and also the existence of an unconformity at the base of Loharkhet/Bageshwar/Ganai/Bhimtal Formation. This paper describes briefly the lithological and structural characters of the rocks of the five belts and the observations are synthesized to present an integrated picture of the regional stratigraphic framework for the metasediments lying between the Main Central Thrust and the Main Boundary Thrust/Fault which define the tectonic boundaries of the Lesser Himalaya in Kumaun.     

Causes of large-scale landslides in the Lesser Himalaya of central Nepal

Geologically and tectonically active Himalayan Range is characterized by highly elevated mountains and deep river valleys. Because of steep mountain slopes, and dynamic geological conditions, large-scale landslides are very common in Lesser and Higher Himalayan zones of Nepal Himalaya. Slopes along the major highways of central Nepal namely Prithvi Highway, Narayangadh-Mugling Road and Tribhuvan Highway are considered in this study of large-scale landslides. Geologically, the highways in consideration pass through crushed and jointed Kathmandu Nappe affected by numerous faults and folds. The relict large-scale landslides have been contributing to debris flows and slides along the highways. Most of the slope failures are mainly bechanced in geological formations consisting phyllite, schist and gneiss. Laboratory test on the soil samples collected from the failure zones and field investigation suggested significant hydrothermal alteration in the area. The substantial hydrothermal alteration in the Lesser Himalaya during advancement of the Main Central Thrust (MCT) and thereby clay mineralization in sliding zones of large-scale landslide are the main causes of large-scale landslides in the highways of central Nepal. This research also suggests that large-scale landslides are the major cause of slope failure during monsoon in the Lesser Himalaya of Nepal. Similarly, hydrothermal alteration is also significant in failure zone of the large-scale landslides. For the sustainable road maintenance in Nepal, it is of utmost importance to study the nature of sliding zones of large-scale landslides along the highways and their role to cause debris flows and slides during monsoon period.     

The Siwaliks of western Nepal: I. Geometry and kinematics

The Siwalik Group which forms the southern zone of the Himalayan orogen, constitutes the deformed part of the Neogene foreland basin situated above the downflexed Indian lithosphere. It forms the outer part of the thin-skinned thrust belt of the Himalaya, a belt where the faults branch off a major décollement (MD) that is the external part of the basal detachment of Himalayan thrust belt. This décollement is located beneath 13 Ma sediments in far-western Nepal, and beneath 14.6 Ma sediments in mid-western Nepal, i.e., above the base of the Siwalik Group. Unconformities have been observed in the upper Siwalik member of western Nepal both on satellite images and in the field, and suggest that tectonics has affected the frontal part of the outer belt since more than 1.8 Ma. Several north dipping thrusts delineate tectonic boundaries in the Siwalik Group of western Nepal. The Main Dun Thrust (MDT) is formed by a succession of 4 laterally relayed thrusts, and the Main Frontal Thrust (MFT) is formed by three segments that die out laterally in propagating folds or branch and relay faults along lateral transfer zones. One of the major transfer zones is the West Dang Transfer Zone (WDTZ), which has a north-northeast strike and is formed by strike-slip faults, sigmoid folds and sigmoid reverse faults. The width of the outer belt of the Himalaya varies from 25 km west of the WDTZ to 40 km east of the WDTZ. The WDTZ is probably related to an underlying fault that induces: (a) a change of the stratigraphic thickness of the Siwalik members involved in the thin-skinned thrust belt, and particularly of the middle Siwalik member; (b) an increase, from west to east, of the depth of the décollement level; and (c) a lateral ramp that transfers displacement from one thrust to another. Large wedge-top basins (Duns) of western Nepal have developed east of the WDTZ. The superposition of two décollement levels in the lower Siwalik member is clear in a large portion of the Siwalik group of western Nepal where it induces duplexes development. The duplexes are formed either by far-travelled horses that crop out at the hangingwall of the Internal Décollement Thrust (ID) to the south of the Main Boundary Thrust, or by horses that remain hidden below the middle Siwaliks or Lesser Himalayan rocks. Most of the thrusts sheets of the outer belt of western Nepal have moved toward the S–SW and balanced cross-sections show at least 40 km shortening through the outer belt. This value probably under-estimates the shortening because erosion has removed the hangingwall cut-off of the Siwalik series. The mean shortening rate has been 17 mm/yr in the outer belt for the last 2.3 Ma.     

METAMORPHISM IN THE LESSER HIMALAYAN CRYSTALLINES AND MAIN CENTRAL THRUST ZONE IN THE ARUN VALLEY AND AMA DRIME RANGE (EASTERN HIMALAYA)

METAMORPHISM IN THE LESSER HIMALAYAN CRYSTALLINES AND MAIN CENTRAL THRUST ZONE IN THE ARUN VALLEY AND AMA DRIME RANGE (EASTERN HIMALAYA)1　BrunelM ,KienastJR . tudep啨ｔｒｏ structuraledeschevauchementsductileshimalayenssurlatrans versaledel’Everest Makalu (N啨ｐａｌｏｒｉｅｎｔａｌ) [J].CanadianJ .EarthSciences,1986 ,2 3:1117～ 1137. 2　LombardoB ,RolfoF .TwocontrastingeclogitetypesintheHimalayas :implicationsfortheHimalayanorogeny…