Fluvial incision and tectonic uplift across the Himalayas of central Nepal

Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth

Volumn 106, Issue B11, 2001, Pages 26561-26591

  Lave J ^a,b   Avouac, J P ^a  

^a CEA DIF   (France)

^b UNIVERSITÉ GRENOBLE ALPES   (France)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

DENUDATION; FLUVIAL PROCESS; INCISED VALLEY; QUATERNARY; RIVER TERRACE; TECTONIC EVOLUTION; UPLIFT;

HIMALAYAS; NEPAL;

EID: 0035202358     PISSN: 21699313     EISSN: 21699356     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1029/2001jb000359     Document Type: Article

References (111)

1. Anhert, F., Functional relationships between denudation, relief, and uplift in large mid-latitude drainage basins, Am. J. Sci., 268, 243-263, 1970.
2. Avouac, J. P., and E. Burov, Erosion as a driving mechanism of intracontinental mountain growth, J. Geophys. Res., 101, 17,747-17,769, 1996.
3. Avouac, J. P., and P. Tapponnier, Kinematic model of active deformation in central Asia, Geophys. Res. Lett., 20, 895-898, 1993.
4. Baade, J., A. Lang, R. Mäusbacher, and C. A. Wagner, Quaternary lake deposits in the Thakkhola Graben, Mustang, Nepal, in 13th Himalayas-Karakorum-Tibet International Workshop, Geol. Bull., 31, pp. 22-23, Univ. of Peshawar, Pakistan, 1998.
5. Beaumont, C., P. Fullsack, and J. Hamilton, Erosional control of active compressional orogens, in Thrust Tectonics, edited by K.R. McClay, pp. 1-18, Chapman and Hall, New-York, 1992.
6. Bergman, S. C., D. Q Coffield, R. Donelick, J. Corrigan, J. Talbot, P. Cerveny and S. Kelley, Late Cenozoic compressional and extensional cooling and exhumation of the Qomolangma (Mt Everest) region, Nepal, Geol. Soc. Am. Abstr. Programs, 25, 1993.
7. Bilham, R., K. Larson, J. Freymuller, and Project Idylhim Members, Indo-Asian convergence rates in the Nepal Himalayas, Nature, 386, 61-64, 1997.
8. Brozovic, N., D. W. Burbank, and A. Meigs, Climatic limits on landscape development in the northwestern Himalaya, Science, 276, 571-574, 1997.
9. Brunel, M., Ductile thrusting in the Himalayas: Shear sense criteria and stretching lineations, Tectonics, 5, 247-265, 1986.
10. Brunsden, D., D. K. C. Jones, R. P. Martin, and J. C. Doornkamp, The geomorphological character of part of the Low Himalaya of eastern Nepal, Z. Geomorph., 37, 25-72, 1981.
11. Buffington, J. M., and D. R. Montgomery, A systematic analysis of eight decades of incipient motion studies, with special reference to gravel-bedded rivers, Water Resour. Res., 33, 1993-2029, 1997.
12. Bull, W., Geomorphic Response to Climatic Change, 326 pp., Oxford Univ. Press, New York, 1991.
13. Burbank, D. W., Causes of recent Himalayan uplift deduced from deposited patterns in the Ganges basin, Nature, 357, 680-683, 1992.
14. Burbank, D. W., J. Leland, E. Fielding, R. S. Anderson, N. Brozovic, M. R. Reid, and C. Duncan, Bedrock incision, rock uplift and threshold hillslopes in the northwestern Himalayas, Nature, 379, 505-510, 1996.
15. Carson, B., Erosion and sedimentation processes in the Nepal Himalayas, Icimod Occasional Paper, I, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, Nepal, 1985.
16. Cattin, R., and J. P. Avouac, Modelling mountain building and the seismic cycle in the Himalaya of Nepal, J. Geophys. Res., 105, 13,389-13,407, 2000.
17. Chang, H. H., Fluvial Processes in River Engineering, 425 pp., John Wiley, New York, 1988.
18. Delcaillau, B., Les Siwaliks de l'Himalaya du Népal Oriental, Fonctionnement et Evolution, 205 pp., CNRS, Paris, 1992.
19. Derry, L., and C. France Lanord, Himalayas weathering and erosion fluxes: Climate and tectonic controls, in Tectonic Uplift and Climate Change, edited by W.F. Ruddiman, pp. 289-312, Plenum, New York, 1997.
20. Duncan, C. C., A. J. Klein, J. G. Masek, and B. L. Isacks, Comparison of late Pleistocene and modern glacier extents in central Nepal based on digital elevation data and satellite imagery, Quaternary Res., 43, 241-254, 1998.
21. Fielding, E. J, B. L. Isacks, M. Barazangi, and C. C. Duncan, How flat is Tibet?, Geology, 22, 163-167, 1994.
22. Foley, M. G., Quaternary diversion and incision, Deaborn river, Montana, Part I, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 91, 2152-2188, 1980a.
23. Foley, M. G., Bed-rock incision by streams, Part II, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 97, 2189-2213, 1980b.
24. Fort, M., Etude géomorphologique d'une chaîne de collision intracontinentale, mem. de thèse, 700 pp., Univ. de Paris VII, 1993.
25. Gansser, A., Geology of the Himalayas, Wiley Interscience, New York, 1964.
26. Gupta, V. J., On the stratigraphic position of the Kathmandu valley sediments, Nepal, Geogr. Helv., 1, 27-28, 1975.
27. Hancock, G. S., R. Anderson, and K. X. Whipple, Beyond power: Bedrock river incision process and form, in Rivers over Rock: Fluvial Processes in Bedrock Channels, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., vol. 107, edited by K. J. Tinkler and E. E. Wohl, pp. 35-60, AGU, Washington, D. C., 1998.
28. Harrison, T. M., F. J. Ryerson, P. Le Fort, A. Yin, O. M. Lovera, and E. J. Catlos, A late Miocene-Pliocene origin for the central Himalayan inverted metamorphism, Earth. Planet. Sci. Lett., 146, E1-E7, 1997.
29. His Majesty's Government (HMG) of Nepal, Undertaking, Feasibility study on Sapt Gandaki hydroelectric power development project, report II, Nepal Electr. Auth., April 1982.
30. His Majesty's Government (HMG) of Nepal, Undertaking, Final report on disaster prevention master plan in upper Rapti river basin, Second Kulekhani Hydroelect. Proj., Nepal Electr. Auth., Oct. 1989.
31. His Majesty's Government (HMG) of Nepal, Bagmati command area development project, vol. 2, Minist. of Water Resour., Dept. of Irrigat., Dec. 1991a.
32. His Majesty's Government (HMG) of Nepal, Undertaking, Feasibility study - phase II, Nepal Electr. Auth., Upper Arun Hydroelect. Proj., Dec. 1991b.
33. His Majesty's Government (HMG) of Nepal, Undertaking, Middle Marsyandi hydroelectric Project, Nepal Electr. Auth., Eng. Dir. Invest. Dept., Aug. 1994.
34. His Majesty's Government (HMG) of Nepal, Climatological records of Nepal 1987-1990, Dept. of Hydrol. and Meteorol., Kathmandu, 1995a.
35. His Majesty's Government (HMG) of Nepal, Hydrological records of Nepal, Streamflow summary - 1993, 70 pp., Dept. of Hydrol. and Meteorol., Kathmandu, 1995b.
36. Hovius, N., Macroscale process systems of mountain belt erosion, in Geomorphology and Global Tectonics, edited by M.A. Summerfield, pp. 77-105, John Wiley, New York, 2000.
37. Hovius, N., C. P. Starck, and P.A. Allen, Sediment flux from a mountain belt derived by landslide mapping, Geology, 25, 231-234, 1997.
38. Howard, A. D., Long profile development of bedrock channels: Interaction of weathering, mass wasting, bed erosion, and sediment transport, in Rivers over Rock: Fluvial Processes in Bedrock Channels, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., vol. 107, edited by K. J. Tinkler and E. E. Wohl, pp. 297-319, AGU, Washington, D. C., 1998.
39. Howard, A. D., and G. Kerby, Channel changes in badlands, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 94, 739-752, 1983.
40. Howard, A. D., W. E. Dietrich, and M. A. Seidl, Modeling fluvial erosion on regional to continental scales, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 13,971-13,986, 1994.
41. Hurtrez, J. E., F. Lucazeau, J. Lavé, and J. P. Avouac, Investigation of the relationships between basin morphology, tectonic uplift and denudation from the study of an active fold belt in the Siwaliks Hills (central Nepal), J. Geophys. Res., 104, 12,779-12,796, 1999.
42. Ikeda, S., G. Parker, and Y. Kimura, Stable width and depth of straight grave rivers with heterogeneous bed material, Water Resour. Res., 24, 713-722, 1988.
43. Iwata, S., and T. Nakata, River terraces and crustal movement in the area around Narayanghat, Central Nepal, J. Nepal Geol. Soc., 5, 33-42, 1986.
44. Iwata, S., H. Yamanaka, and M. Yoshida, Glacial landforms and river terraces in the Thakkhola region, central Nepal, J. Nepal Geol. Soc., 2, 81-94, 1982.
45. Iwata, S., T. Sharma, and H. Yamanaka, A preliminary report on geomorphology of central Nepal and Himalayan uplift, J. Nepal Geol. Soc., 4, 141-149, 1984.
46. Jackson, M., and R. Bilham, Constraints on Himalayan deformation inferred from vertical velocity fields in Nepal and Tibet, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 13897-13912, 1994.
47. Jouanne, F., J. L. Mugnier, M. R. Pandey, J. F. Gamond, P. Le Fort, L. Serrurier, C. Vigny, and J. P. Avouac, Oblique convergence in the Himalayas of western Nepal deduced from preliminary results of GPS measurements, Geophys. Res. Lett., 26, 1933-1936, 1999.
48. Keller, E. A., Investigation of active tectonics: Use of surficial Earth processes, in Active tectonics, pp. 136-147, Nat. Acad. Press, Washington, D. C., 1986.
49. Koons, P. O., The topographic evolution of collisional mountain belts: A numerical look at the southern Alps, New Zealand, Am. J. Sci., 289, 1041-1069, 1989.
50. Krumbein, W. C., the effects of abrasion on the size, shape and roundness of rocks fragments, J. Geol., 49, 482-520, 1941.
51. Kuenen, P. H., Experimental abrasion of pebbles: 2. Rolling by current, J. Geol., 64, 336-368, 1956.
52. Kuhle, M., Der Dhaulagiri und Annapurna Himalaya. Ein Beitrag zur Geomorphologie extremer Hochgebirge, Z. Geomorph., Suppl. 41 (2), 229 pp., 1982.
53. Laban, P., Field measurements on erosion and sedimentation in Nepal, Integrated Watershed Management Working, Pap. 5, Min. of For., Dep. of Soil and Water Conserv., Kathmandu, Nepal, 1978.
54. Larson, K., R. Bürgmann, R. Bilham, and J. T. Freymueller, Kinematics of the India-Eurasia collision zone from GPS measurements, J. Geophys. Res., 104, 1077-1093, 1999.
55. Lavé, J., Tectonique et érosion: L'apport de la dynamique fluviale a l'étude sismotectonique de l'Himalaya du Népal central, thèse de 3eme cycle, 225 pp., Univ. Paris VII, 1997.
56. Lavé, J., and J. P. Avouac, Active folding of fluvial terraces across the Siwaliks Hills (Himalayas of central Nepal), J. Geophys. Res., 105, 5735-5770, 2000.
57. Le Fort, P., Metamorphism and magmatism during the Himalayan collision, in Collision Tectonics, edited by M. P. Coward and A. C. Ries, Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ., 19, 159-172, 1986.
58. Leopold, L. B., A View of the River, 292 pp., Harward Univ. Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1994.
59. Leopold, L. B., and J.P. Miller, Ephemeral streams-hydraulics factors and their relation to the drainage net, U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap., 282A, 1-37, 1956.
60. Lyon-Caen, H., and P. Molnar, Constraints on the structure of the Himalayas from an analysis of gravity anomalies and flexural model of the lithosphere, J. Geophys. Res., 88, 8171-8191, 1983.
61. Lyon-Caen, H., and P. Molnar, Gravity anomalies, flexure of the Indian plate and the structure, support and evolution of the Himalayas and Ganga Basin, Tectonics, 4, 513-538, 1985.
62. Masek, J.G., B. L. Isacks, M. Barazangi, and E. J. Fielding, Erosion and tectonics at the margins of continental plateaus, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 13,941-13,956, 1994.
63. Mattauer, M., Sur le mécanisme de formation de la schistosité dans l'Himalaya, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 28, 144-154, 1986.
64. Merritts, D. J., K. R. Vincent, and E. E. Wohl, Long river profiles, tectonism, and eustasy: A guide to interpreting fluvial terraces, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 14,031-14,050, 1994.
65. Métivier, F., and Y. Gaudemer, Stability of output fluxes of large rivers in south and east Asia during the last 2 million years. Implications on floodplain processes, Basin Res., 11, 293-303, 1999.
66. Métivier, F., Y. Gaudemer, P. Tapponnier, and M. Klein, Mass accumulation rates in Asia during the Cenozoic, Geophys. J. Int., 137, 280-318, 1999.
67. Mezaki, S., and M. Yabiku, Channel morphology of the Kali Gandaki and the Narayani rivers in central Nepal, J. Nepal Geol. Soc., 4, 161-176, 1984.
68. Molnar, P., Inversion of profiles of uplift rates for the geometry of dip-slip faults at depth, with examples from the Alps and the Himalayas, Ann. Geophys., 5, 663-670, 1987.
69. Molnar, P., A review of the seismicity and rates of active underthrusting and deformation at the Himalayas, J. Himalayan Geol., 1, 131-154, 1990.
70. Molnar, P., and P. England, Late Cenozoic uplift of mountain ranges and global climate change: Chicken or egg?, Nature, 346, 29-34, 1990.
71. Montgomery, D. R., Valley incision and the uplift of mountain peaks, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 13,913-13,921, 1994.
72. Mugnier, J. L., P. Huyghe, E. Chalaron and G. Mascles, Recent movements along the Main Boundary Thrust of the Himalayas: Normal faulting in an over-critical thrust wedge?, Tectonophysics, 238, 199-215, 1994.
73. Nakata, T., Geomorphic history and crustal movements of the foothills of the Himalayas, Sci. Rep. Tohoku Univ. Ser. 2, 22, 177 pp., 1972.
74. Nakata, T., Active faults of the Himalayas of India and Nepal, Spec. Pap. Geol. Soc. Am., 232, 243-264, 1989.
75. Nautiyal, S.P., and P.N. Sharma, A geological report on the ground water investigation of Kathmandu valley, report, Geol. Surv. of India, 1961.
76. Pandey, M. R., R. P. Tandukar, J. P. Avouac, J. Lavé, and J. P. Massot, Interseismic strain accumulation on the Himalayan crustal ramp (Nepal), Geophys. Res. Lett., 22, 751-754, 1995.
77. Paola, C., and D. Mohrig, Paleohydraulics revisited: Paleoslope estimation in coarse-grained braided rivers, Basin Res., 8, 243-254, 1996.
78. Parker, G., Self-formed straight rivers with equilibrium banks and mobile bed, part 2, The gravel river, J. Fluid Mech., 89, 127-146, 1978.
79. Peltzer, G., and F. Saucier, Present-day kinematics of Asia derived from geologic fault rates, J. Geophys. Res., 101, 27,943-27,956, 1996.
80. Pinet, P., and M. Souriau, Continental erosion and large-scale relief, Tectonics, 7, 563-582, 1988.
81. Powers, P. M., R. J. Lillie, and R. S. Yeats, Structure and shortening of the Kangra and Dehra Dun reentrants, Sub-Himalayas, India, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 110, 1010-1027, 1998.
82. Raymo, M. E, and W. F. Ruddiman, Tectonic forcing of the late Cenozoic climate, Nature, 359, 117-122, 1992.
83. Raymo, M. E., W. F. Ruddiman, and P. N. Froelich, Influence of late Cenozoic mountain building on ocean geochemical cycles, Geology, 16, 649-653, 1988.
84. Schelling, D., The tectonostratigraphy and structure of the eastern Nepal Himalayas, Tectonics, 11, 925-943, 1992.
85. Schelling, D., and K. Arita, Thrust tectonics, crustal shortening and the structure of the far-eastern Nepal Himalayas, Tectonics, 10, 851-862, 1991.
86. Schmidt, K. M., and D. R. Montgomery, Limits to relief, Science, 270, 617-620, 1995.
87. Searle, M.P., Extensional and compressional faults in the Everest-Lhotse massif, Khumbu Himalaya, J. Geol. Soc. London, 156, 227-240, 1999.
88. Searle, M. P., R. R. Parrish, K. V. Hodges, A. Hurford, M. W. Ayres, and M. J. Whitehouse, Shisha Pangma leucogranite, south Tibetan Himalayas: Field relations, geochemistry, age, origin, and emplacement, J. Geol., 105, 295-317, 1997.
89. Seeber, L., and J. Armbuster, Great detachment earthquakes along the Himalayan arc and the long-term forecasts, in Earthquake Prediction: An International Review, Maurice Ewing Ser., vol. 4, edited by D. W. Simpson and P. G. Richards, pp. 259-277, AGU, Washington, D. C., 1981.
90. Seeber, L., and V. Gornitz, River profiles along the Himalayan arc as indicators of active tectonics, Tectonophysics, 92, 335-367, 1983.
91. Sheperd, R. G., and S. Schumm, Experimental study of river incision, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 85, 257-268, 1974.
92. Sklar, L., and W. E. Dietrich, River longitudinal profiles and bedrock incision modes: stream power and the influence of sediment supply, in Rivers over Rock: Fluvial Processes in Bedrock Channels, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., vol. 107, edited by K. J. Tinkler and E. E. Wohl, pp. 237-260, AGU, Washington, D. C., 1998.
93. Slingerland, R., S. Willet, and N. Hovius, Slope-area scaling as a test of fluvial bedrock erosion laws, EOS Trans. AGU, 79 (45), Fall Meet. Suppl., F358, 1998.
94. Snyder, N. P., K. Whipple, G. E. Tucker, D. Merrits, Landscape response to tectonic forcing: DEM analysis of stream profiles in the Mendocino triple junction region, northern California, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 112, 1250-1263, 2000.
95. Stock, J. D., and D. R. Montgomery, Geologic constraints on bedrock river incision using the stream power law, J. Geophys. Res., 104, 4983-4993, 1999.
96. Stöcklin, J., Geology of Nepal and its regional frame, J. Geol. Soc. London, 137, 1-34, 1980.
97. Stöcklin, J., Geological map of Kathmandu area and central Mahabarat range, sacle 1:250,000, Dep. of Mines and Geol., Népal, 1987.
98. Summerfield, M. A., and N. J. Hulton, Natural controls of fluvial denudation rates in major world drainage basins, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 13,871-13,883, 1994.
99. Wadia, D. N., The transitional passage of Pliocene into the Pleistocene in the Northwestern Sub-Himalaya, Proc. 18th Int. Geol. Congr. London, 1948, 10, 43-48, 1951.
100. Weldon, R. J., Late Cenozoic geology of Cajon Pass: Implications for tectonics and sedimentation along the San Andreas fault, Ph.D. thesis, 400 pp., Calif. Inst. of Technol., Pasadena, 1986.
101. Wesnousky, S. G., K. Senthil, R. Mohindra, and V. C. Thakur, Uplift and convergence along the Himalayan Frontal Thrust of India, Tectonics, 18, 967-976, 1999.
102. West, R. M., and J. Munthe, Neogene vertebrate paleontology and stratigraphy of Nepal, J. Nepal Geol. Soc., 1, 1-14, 1981.
103. Whipple, K. X., E. Kirby, and S. H. Brocklehurst, Geomorphic limit to climate-induced increases in topographic relief, Nature, 401, 39-43, 1999.
104. Willet, S, C. Beaumont, and P. Fullsack, Mechanical model for the tectonics of doubly vergent compressional orogens, Geology, 21, 371-372, 1993.
105. Yamanaka, H., and S. Iwata, River terraces along the Middle Kali Gandaki and Marsyandi khola central Nepal, J. Nepal Geol. Soc., 2, 95-111, 1982.
106. Yanbin, W., and W. Jun, Fission-track evidence for episodic denudation of the Nyalam Higher Himalaya, China, in 13th Himalaya-Karakorum-Tibet International Workshop, Geol. Bull., 31, p. 218, Univ. of Peshawar, Pakistan, 1998.
107. Yeats, R., and R. J. Lillie, Contemporary tectonics of the Himalayan frontal fault system: Folds, blind thrusts and the 1905 Kangra earthquake, J. Struct. Geol., 13, 215-225, 1991.
108. Yoshida, M., and Gautam, P., Magnetostratigraphy of Plio-Pleistocene lacustrine deposits in the Kathmandu valley, central Nepal, Proc. Indian Nat. Sci. Acad., 54A(3), 410-417, 1988.
109. Yoshida, M., and Y. Igarashi, Neogene to Quaternary lacustrine sediments in the Kathmandu valley, J. Nepal Geol. Soc., 4, 73-100, 1984.
110. Zhao, W., K. D. Nelson, and Project INDEPTH Team, Deep seismic reflection evidence for continental underthrusting beneath southern Tibet, Nature, 366, 55-559, 1993.
111. Zollinger, F., The Sapt Kosi unsolved problems of flood control in the Nepalese Terai, integrated watershed management, torrent control and use development of soil and water conservation, Dept. of Soil and Water Conserv., Kathmandu, Nepal, 1979.