Effect of geology and geomorphology on landuse/landcover in Himalayan foothill, Dehradun

A detailed geological, geomorphological and landuse/landcover study has been carried in a small watershed of Himalaya by visual interpretation of FCC prepared from band 123 of ASTER satellite imagery. On the basis of interpretation and field check, major litounits identified in the study area include Lesser Himalaya conglomerate consisting of quartzite, granite, phyllite boulder and pebble, Middle Siwalik sandstone and Upper Siwalik boulder beds and valley fill with Doon gravel of Holocene age. Geomorphologically the study area is characterized by typical Himalayan topography with rugged terrain. Various landforms identified and recognized include, Doon Fan Gravel Terrace, Doon Fan Gravel Dissected hill, Sub Recent Fan Terrace, Moderately Dissected Structural Hill, Piedmont Dissected Slope, River Terrace, Channel Bar and River channel. Supervised classification of ASTER False Colour Composite (FCC) (123) shows that the major landuse category in the study area is agriculture while major landcover class is forest covered land. The study shows the effect of geology and geomorphology on the type of landuse and landcover in an active tectonic zone of the study area.