Geomorphological and geo/thermo-chronological responses of Indian plate’s deformation during neogene- quaternary time along the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis: Formation of Manabhum anticline

Abstract

India-Eurasia and India-Burma collision systems encircle Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis (EHS) in the north and the southeast. The main active structure responsible for the uplift of the Quaternary and Neogene rocks in the easternmost part of the EHS is the NW-SE trending Mishmi Thrust (MT). The spectacular antiformal Manabhum Hill developed during the Quaternary as a ramp antiform over a splay of Mishmi Thrust in its foreland region. The current work presents the deformation scenario, uplift rate, and landform development along the Mishmi Thrust from the Neogene to the Recent for the first time. The surface deformation and the rock and sediment deformation histories have been interpreted from the geomorphology, structure and petrology of the rocks and sediments. We use new (U + Th + Sm)/He low-temperature thermochronology (LTT) of zircon and apatite and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dates to calculate the uplift rate for the Neogene to early Quaternary and late Quaternary time intervals, respectively. The Neogene uplift rate varies between 0.91 and 2.3 mm/yr, whereas the early Quaternary uplift rate is ∼3.1 mm/yr. The increased uplift rate during the Quaternary period with significant deformation of sediments indicates the non-rigid character of the Indian plate in this sector, which experienced compression and clockwise rotation.