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Morphological dynamicity and sediment characteristics of channel bars in the piedmont rivers: a study of Darjeeling Himalayan foothill region, India

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Abstract

The processes of the development of channel bars, their evolution history, morphological dynamicity, varying sediment characteristics along the reaches of the river are governed by the flow regime, channel gradient and bank character of the piedmont zone of the Darjeeling Himalayan foothill region (DHFR). The area covers 80 km × 50 km river corridor of Tista, Jaldhaka, Torsa and tributaries of Lish, Gish, Chel, Mal, Neora, Murti, Kurti, Kumlai and Damdim. Lithofacies, XRD data, bridge scouring, critical stream power, shear stress and sediment grain size samples were collected from the field studies, conducted in the upper, middle and lower piedmont zone of the foothill rivers. Past stream power, rates of aggradation as well as the age of the bars have been estimated following William’s empirical equations and Wilson and Goodbred’s methods. Results of the analysis depicting the rate of hydro-morphological behaviour of the bars vary between monsoonal and non-monsoonal period and the major affected zones are the middle and lower reaches of the piedmont rivers. The past stream power has reported > 90.3841ω to > 510.0668ω values by William's empirical equations. The expected average relative ages of the channel bars are between ± 120 and ± 125 years, ± 60 and ± 65 years and ± 45 and ± 50 years in the upper, middle and lower piedmont zone of DHFR, respectively. Exposed lithofacies analysis of the depositional bar has revealed the fact that the grain sizes of the depositional layers vary from pebble, gravel to sand and silt according to the hydro-morphological character of the channel reach sectors. The mineral composition also changes from quartz, silica, feldspar, iron oxide to silica along the upper to the lower piedmont. Moreover, the effect of hydro-technical activities like road and railway bridges on the transformational character of the channel bars cannot be ignored. Detailed long-term study through measurements is important for the optimum utilization of the stable bars and for the site selection of the roads and railway bridges.

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Acknowledgements

We convey our special thanks to S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India for providing laboratory facilities for XRD test. We are also thankful to the Editor-in-Chief Maria Virginia Alves Martins and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments for substantial improvement of the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Geography, Visva-Bharati (A Central University), Bolpur, West Bengal, India

    Md Kutubuddin Dhali & Sutapa Mukhopadhyay

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Dhali, M.K., Mukhopadhyay, S. Morphological dynamicity and sediment characteristics of channel bars in the piedmont rivers: a study of Darjeeling Himalayan foothill region, India. J. Sediment. Environ. 7, 21–41 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43217-021-00080-5

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