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Neo-tectonic signatures in the Mishmi Massif, Eastern Himalayas: an interpretation on the basis of the Lohit River Basin geometry

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Abstract

Eastern syntaxial bend of the Himalayas has developed due to continued subduction of the Indian plate below the Tibetan plate to the north and the Burmese plate to the southeast. The Lohit River, which is one of the most important tributaries of the Brahmaputra, flows through the granodioritic terrain of the Mishmi Massif along deep gorges. Tectonic evolution of a terrain controls its drainage pattern and it is possible to trace back the tectonic forces involved through time and space in terrain evolution by morphometric study and the basin parameters. Integration of earthquake epicentral data further enhances understanding of the tectonic processes. It is distinct that the portion of the Lohit Basin bounded by the Parlung Fault to the east and the Po Chu Fault to the west, both trending northwest-southeast, is subsiding whereas the adjacent peripheral blocks on two the sides of this down moving block are relatively uplifted. The study shows two distinct uplifted tectonic zones with different tectonic behaviours. The zone located in the upper reach of the basin beyond the Po Chu Fault got tilted towards west while that of the lower reach tectonic zone, which is sandwiched between the Po Chu Fault and Lohit Thrust, got tilted towards southeast. These two tectonic zones are seismically active and got many major seismic events in the recent past including 1950’s Great Assam earthquake. The present study also indicates strong influence of tectonics in drainage basin development in the Mishmi Massif.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the Department of Geological Sciences, Gauhati University, Assam, India, for providing the necessary laboratory supports to carry out the study. We acknowledge the services provided by the USGS website for source of the SRTM DEM data and the earthquake catalog. We are also thankful to the ISC portal and NEIST, Jorhat, Assam, India, for providing earthquake catalog.

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  1. Department of Geological Sciences, Gauhati University, Guwahati, Assam, 781014, India

    Diganta Kumar & Bhagawat Pran Duarah

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Correspondence to Bhagawat Pran Duarah.

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Kumar, D., Duarah, B.P. Neo-tectonic signatures in the Mishmi Massif, Eastern Himalayas: an interpretation on the basis of the Lohit River Basin geometry. Arab J Geosci 12, 665 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-019-4851-9

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