GEOMORPHOLOGY & NEOTECTONICS OF QUATERNARY DEPOSITSNARMADA VALLEY CENTRAL INDIA.

Narmada River originates at Amarkantak at an elevation of about 1057m above m.s.l. It descendeds from the mountainous tract traversing over a distance of 1280km across the middle of the Indian sub-continent to join the Gulf of Cambay, near Baroda in Gujrat state. The area of study around Homonid locality Hathnora forms the part of central sector of Narmada, it is bound by Vindhyachal in the north and Satpura range to the south; the area in between these two upland is found to be ideal locus of sedimentation as witnessed by the presence of Quaternary landscape and multicyclic sequence of Quaternary terraces in the valley.The general elevation of Narmada alluvial plain varies between 00.00 to 65.00 m in lower Narmada and 65.00 to 95.00 m in upper Narmada valley above the sea level. The general gradient of this plain in this stretch is about 1m /km towards west. The Narmada conspicuously has straight course is controlled by ENE_WSW to E_W lineament, is bounded by Vindhyan in the north and Satpura in the south it is exposed the repeated post erisional and depositional activities and subjected to anisotropic and asymmetric tectonic dislocation which has culminated diversified units and region which further undergone to process of tectonic evolution and chiseling of terrain by dynamic erosional and depositional activity resulting in and reshaping the terrain into various morphogenetic units and land form elements, re-configuration of drainage, topography, physiographic, erosional platform, planation surfaces, denudation ridges, structural units linear valleys, strike hills, valley gapes, escarpments and river terraces. The cumulative dynamics of structural deform, rinsing and sinking platform of Narmada has also manifested concealed cyclic mechanism of tectonics, seiesmicity, neosiesmic events and in surface manifestation. In addition the valley gapes and valley trenches provided ideal sites and platform for accumulation&sedimentation. The Narmada Rift valley formed a linear trench in the middle of Indian subcontinent was an ideal elongated depression for accumulation of sediments.The rift trench is intruded by the dolerite and other mafic and siliceous dykes and sills along lineaments in different phases of tectonic deformation. The Quaternary sedimentation incepting from glacial activity, followed by fluvio-glacial, lacustrine and fluvial phase within the rinsing and sinking environment, block, faulting, uplifting, isolated domal up- lift, Neogene rifting, Quaternary sedimentation, rift-bound Pliocene?Pleistocene rifting and volcanic activity specifically during glacial and fluvio-glacial phases are major component of the Quaternary period and tectonic processes of the Narmada Rift System which forms the base of quaternary deposits . The Quaternary landscape of Narmada comprises ( NT-1 to NT-3 ) and their correlation with rest of Narmada Rift Valley between Jabalpur-Harda and Harda - Bharuch suggest that it has evolved mainly due to tectonic activity along the SONATA LINEAMENT in a compressive stress regime. The sediments comprising these were deposited in a slowly subsiding basin during early Pleistocene middle Pleistocene and the Late Pleistocene. The Holocene period is marked by inversion, which had earlier suffered subsidence. The inversion of the basin is due to a significant increase in compressive stresses along the NSF during the Early Holocene, resulting in differential uplift of the lower Narmada valley. The continuation of the compressive stress regime due to ongoing northward movement of the Indian plate indicates that the NSF is a major candidate for future intraplate seismicity in the regionKhan et.al (1991) Khan et.al (1985) (Khan2016). The Quaternary events of the Narmada portys three prominent terraces and two sub terraces which are designated NT1 to NT3 and sub terraces NT2-A is NT2-B, NT2 B, besides NT2-C, NT3-A & NT3-B besides NT-0 in the valley. They have been designed NTO to NT3, ( 280 to 400 m ), NTO being the low level terrace above the present-day course of the river, NT1-the younger terrace both of cyclic ad o cyclic nature. The NT3 terrace occurs as elongated strip and isolated caps and lenses along the margin of valley flanks has divergent relative disposition. These land forms indicate vigorous and abrupt incision of valley floor due to relatively & repaid uplift of watershed area during Upper Pleistocene time. The NT1to NT2 is the major depositional terrace and have both convergent & divergent mutual disposition with other terrace. These terraces further downstream have matched equivalents along the valley flanks, whereas in the up stream section the matched equivalents are rare. The conspicuous divergent relation of these terraces the valley reveals successive uplift of catchments area and consequential incision of valley floor and adjustment of base level of Narmada during Upper Pleistocene time. The Quaternary river terraces of Narmada (NT1to NT3) entrapped in tectonic zone with rock cut terraces and scars are significant imprints of euestatic change / climatic changes in the valley during the sedimentation. The alluvial fan in between Tilakwarda and Rajpipla within the loop of Narmada Chamyal (2002) is mono illustration of morphogenetic process associated with neotectonic event. The disposition of Quaternary blanket, fan deposit and other quaternary land forms are controlled and restricted by SONATA LINEAMENT towards north. It appears to be older quaternary deposits of Narmada which has moved from basement and has been pasted along SONATA LINEAMENT. The Indian Plate is currently moving northeast at 5 cm/yr (2 in/yr), against the Eurasian Plate is at the rate of only 2 cm/yr (0.8 in/yr) is causing the Eurasian Plate to deform, and the Indian Plate to compress leading to tectonic activity along major fault zones. In tectonically active areas sedimentary basins undergo phases of both crustal extension and contraction leading to basin inversion and hence display features typical of subsidence and uplift. Geomorphic attributes and deformation in late Quaternary sediments are the indicators of active tectonic activity in any sedimentary basin. The geomorphic evolution in such reactivated basins is primarily due to complex interaction between sedimentation processes and tectonics. The peninsular India has been undergoing high compressive stresses due to the sea-floor spreading in the Indian Ocean and locking up of the Indian plate with the Eurasian plate to the north. Much of this N-S directed stresses have been accommodated by the under thrusting of the Indian plate below the Eurasian plate. A part of these compressive stresses is accumulated along the Narmada-Son Fault (NSF), a major E-W trending crustal discontinuity in the central part of Indian plate.The Quaternary tectonic activity recorded in the Narmada valley possibly, has wider ramifications when viewed in the larger perspective of the Indian plate. This suggests a renewed phase of extreme compression of the Indian plate, which led to tectonic insecurity and may causes tumores and eatrhquake in peninsular India.Khan (2016). The analysis of imprints and signatures of Neotectoisam & data base of available models of neotectonic deformation of the Indian plate indicate that peninsular India has been undergoing high compressive stresses due to the sea-floor spreading in the Indian Ocean and locking up of the Indian plate with the Eurasian plate to the north (Subramanya, 1996). The study of neotectonic activity of Khandwa Sukta faults and Barwani faults Khan ( 2017) in the middle segment of valley , study and analysis of quaternary terraces of Tapti and their imprints of neoseismic events ( TT-1 to TT-3) Khan (1984) in the confluence area of Tapti and Waghour further document and authenticate that these N?S directed stresses have been accommodated by the under thrusting of the Indian plate below the Eurasian plate. A part of these compressive stresses are accumulated along the NSF, a major E?W-trending crustal discontinuity in the central part of the Indian plate. The perceptible tectonic activity of significant magnitude during the Early Holocene has been reported from sea-level studies on the west coast and in the Himalaya located at the trailing and leading edges of the Indian plate respectively.