Fluvial landforms and their implication towards understanding the past climate and seismicity in the northern Katrol Hill Range, western India

Abstract

The tectonically active Kachchh peninsula in western India lies in the southwest monsoon trajectory and hence provides a rare opportunity to decipher the temporal changes in climate–tectonics interaction in the evolution of the fluvial landforms. Reconstructions based on geomorphology, sedimentology, and geochemistry supported by optical chronology suggest that the fluvial aggradation in the region was initiated during the onset of the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The sedimentary characteristics and major elemental concentrations suggest that the sediments are dominated by fluvially reworked miliolites with subordinate contribution from the Mesozoic sandstones and shales and were deposited with the initiation of the ISM after the LGM. Temporal changes in facies architecture and major element concentrations suggest a progressive strengthening of the monsoon between 17 and 12 ka. This was succeeded by an overall strengthened ISM phase with fluctuations after 12 ka and <8 ka. Following this, a gradual decline in the ISM is inferred until around 3 ka. However, presence of the younger valley-fill sediments which are dated to ∼1 ka are ascribed to a short-lived phase of renewed strengthened ISM in the region before the onset of present day aridity.Based on the morphology of the fluvial landforms, two major events of enhanced uplift can be suggested. The geomorphic expression of the older uplift event dated to >17 ka is represented by the beveled Mesozoic bedrock surfaces which accommodated the post LGM valley-fill aggradation. The younger event of enhanced uplift which is assigned to <3 ka was responsible for the incision of the fill sediments and the Mesozoic bedrock, and the evolution of the present day fluvial landforms. The time averaged incision/uplift rate indicates that the Katrol Hill Range is uplifting at the rate of ∼4 mm per year, implying seismically active terrain.