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Tectonism and Drainage Responses: Insights from the Siang River Basin

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Recent Development in River Corridor Management (RCRM 2022)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering ((LNCE,volume 376))

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Abstract

Siang River, the upstream subbasin of the mighty Brahmaputra in northeast India, enters the Indian territory from the Tibetan plateau through the Namche Barwa massif carrying the footprints of tectonic perturbations. This study uses morphometric, morphotectonic and profile analyses of the Siang basin to quantify the landscape responses to tectonics and spatiotemporal variability in the responses. The tectonic imprints on the river basin's morphological characteristics were studied using SRTM DEM-based morphometric analysis and geomorphic indices. The hypsometric integral (‘H.I'), asymmetry ratio (‘Af') and stream length gradient index (‘S.L') are to mention a few morphotectonic parameters analysed in this study. The higher asymmetry value with the sigmoidal to slightly convex up hypsometric curve of the Siang River indicates an unstable tectonic setting of the river basin. An increasing trend for the ‘S.L' index is visible along the upstream Siang River. The gradient changes with sharp elevation differences were evident from the river's long profile. The ‘chi' plot displays disequilibrium from the steady state, as diversions from linearity, indicating an imbalance between the rate of erosion and upliftment at the upstream reach of the river. These drainage responses of the Siang basin can be attributed as typical landscape responses to the ongoing upliftment and the active tectonics of the area.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earth System Science and Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam, India

    M. Uma Narayan, Rishikesh Bharti & Archana M. Nair

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  1. M. Uma Narayan
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  2. Rishikesh Bharti
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  3. Archana M. Nair
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Correspondence to Archana M. Nair .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, India

    Subashisa Dutta

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jammu, Jammu, India

    Vinay Chembolu

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Uma Narayan, M., Bharti, R., Nair, A.M. (2023). Tectonism and Drainage Responses: Insights from the Siang River Basin. In: Dutta, S., Chembolu, V. (eds) Recent Development in River Corridor Management. RCRM 2022. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, vol 376. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-4423-1_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-4423-1_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

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  • Online ISBN: 978-981-99-4423-1

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