Sedimentology and paleogeographic evolution of the intermontane Kathmandu basin, Nepal, during the Pliocene and Quaternary. Implications for formation of deposits of economic interest

Abstract

The Kathmandu Valley is an intermontane basin in the center of a large syncline of the Lesser Himalayas. The sedimentary basin fill comprises three units of Plio-Pleistocene to Holocene age. The study aimed at modeling the paleogeographic evolution of the basin, with emphasis on sedimentary series of fossil fuels and non-metallic deposits. The lithological setting of the basin and the tectonic framework were instrumental to basin subsidence. Alluvial through lacustrine sedimentation during incipient stages is a direct response to uplift in the hinge zone of the synclinorium. Axial parallel sediment dispersal gave way to fluviodeltaic sedimentation mainly from the limbs of the synclinorium. Ongoing compression and renewed uplift in the core zone of the synclinorium drove the uplift of a NW–SE running divide and a subdivision of the mono-lake into two basins. This ridge blocked the flow of transverse rivers and the northern subbasin became gradually choked. Ongoing uplift of the entire basin during the recent geological history caused a reorganization of the drainage pattern and triggered linear erosion in the southern mountain range. Step-by-step the remaining lacustrine basins disappeared. Fan aggradation coincide with cold dry or warm seasons, fluvial dissection and discharge increased during warmer and more humid periods. High lake levels exist during phases of increased humidity. The results of this basin analysis may be used predictively in the exploration for coal, natural gas, diatomaceous earths and quarrying for sand or clay. The gas potential is at its maximum in the lacustrine facies, sand and clay for construction purposes may be quarried economically from various fluvial and deltaic deposits. Diatomaceous earths predominantly accumulated in marginal parts of the lake and some landslide-dammed ponds. Lignitic brown coal can be mined together with combustible shales from poorly drained swamps.