Active Tectonics–Climate Interaction in the Structural Depo-Centres of Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ)

Abstract

The Late Cenozoic period in the Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ) marked by several episodes of crustal adjustments resulted in the development of various landforms, drainage anomalies and pedosedimentary successions. The fault bound tectonic basins viz. Tapi, Purna and Narmada flanking the Satpura ranges hold tell-tale evidence of varying climatic and tectonic regimes. This chapter summarizes data from various literature, the Active Fault Mapping programme in CITZ and the fluvial archives to unravel the role of the tectonics-climate feedback system in shaping landscape architecture in and around the structurally controlled Quaternary River basins of Purna, Tapi and Narmada. The cumulative interactions between the deformational events and ongoing surface processes are best witnessed by the marker horizons, anomalous river courses, basin geometry, hill slopes and elevation characteristics and the way these have influenced its depositional environment. The study suggests that repeated reactivation of older crustal-scale faults under different stress regimes have been a guiding factor in landform evolution in CITZ. While tectonics holds the primary key to the overall landscape development and sedimentation, peninsular climatic or microclimatic variations have equally been significant as palaeo-climatic proxies mimic all India monsoon scenarios.