Craton-derived alluvium as a major sediment source in the Himalayan Foreland Basin of India

Abstract

Research Article| November 01, 2009 Craton-derived alluvium as a major sediment source in the Himalayan Foreland Basin of India R. Sinha; R. Sinha † 1Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur 208016, Uttar Pradesh, India †E-mail: rsinha@iitk.ac.in Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Y. Kettanah; Y. Kettanah 2Department of Earth Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3J5, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar M.R. Gibling; M.R. Gibling 2Department of Earth Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3J5, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar S.K. Tandon; S.K. Tandon 3Department of Geology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar M. Jain; M. Jain 4Risø National Laboratory, Radiation Research Department, P.O. Box 49, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar P.S. Bhattacharjee; P.S. Bhattacharjee 1Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur 208016, Uttar Pradesh, India Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar A.S. Dasgupta; A.S. Dasgupta 1Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur 208016, Uttar Pradesh, India Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar P. Ghazanfari P. Ghazanfari 5Geology Department, Natural Sciences Faculty, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GSA Bulletin (2009) 121 (11-12): 1596–1610. https://doi.org/10.1130/B26431.1 Article history received: 19 Mar 2008 rev-recd: 30 Oct 2008 accepted: 09 Dec 2008 first online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation R. Sinha, Y. Kettanah, M.R. Gibling, S.K. Tandon, M. Jain, P.S. Bhattacharjee, A.S. Dasgupta, P. Ghazanfari; Craton-derived alluvium as a major sediment source in the Himalayan Foreland Basin of India. GSA Bulletin 2009;; 121 (11-12): 1596–1610. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B26431.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Within the Himalayan Foreland Basin, the axial Yamuna River with Himalayan headwaters lies along the northern margin of the Indian Craton, giving the impression that cratonic rivers have contributed little to the basin compared with Himalayan drainages. However, the Betwa, Chambal, and other rivers, which drain northward into the Yamuna, are vigorous monsoonal rivers with large catchments. Stratigraphic and petrographic evidence shows that sediment derived largely from these rivers extends north of the axial Yamuna River. Red feldspathic sand and gravel underlie much of the southern foreland basin at shallow depth (>25 m), where its topmost strata are dated at ca. 119 ka ago, and extend at deeper levels (>500 m) to about one-third of the distance across the foreland basin. Petrographic analysis confirms a match with modern Betwa River sands, which derive their feldspar from granitic gneisses of the Bundelkhand Complex.Along the Yamuna Valley the red alluvium is overlain by gray alluvium dated at 82–35 ka ago, which also yields a cratonic signature, with large amounts of smectite derived from the Deccan Traps. Cratonic contributions are evident in alluvium as young as 9 ka ago in a section 25 km north of the Yamuna. This gray cratonic sediment was probably deposited in part by the Chambal River, which transports high-grade metamorphic minerals from the Banded Gneiss Complex of the Aravalli belt. Cratonic sediment appears to interfinger with Himalayan detritus farther north below the Ganga-Yamuna Interfluve.With its headwaters in the tectonically unstable Indus-Ganga watershed area, the Yamuna River may have occupied its present course late in the Quaternary, and if so, cratonic rivers may have provided the basin's axial drainage for prolonged periods. The penetration of Himalayan sediment to the distal foreland basin may reflect avulsion of orogenic rivers along the craton margin, in addition to dynamic transverse drainage systems from the Himalaya that pushed the axial drainage to the basin's feather edge. The wide spread of cratonic sediment would have been enhanced by slow subsidence in the distal foreland basin and focusing of rivers into a basin reentrant. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.