STRUCTURAL ASPECTS OF INDO-GANGETIC

PLAINS AND REWIEWS ON HIMALAYAN

AND PENINSULAR GEOLOGY

NAME : PATEL KARNAV M.

M.SC SEM-2
GUIDED BY :Dr. MAJETHIYA SIR.
PAPER : GEL 409
 CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
 INDO-GANGETIC PLAINS
 HIMALAYAN GEOLOGY
 PENINSULAR GEOLOGY
 REFRENCES
 INTRODUCTION
• The Indian sub –continent may be
divided geologically into following
three divisions.
1) Peninsula (Triangular portion of
south)
2) Indo- gangetic plain (It separates
peninsula from extra peninsula)
3) Extra- peninsula (mountain
region bordering India on NE, N
and NW( Himalaya ranges).
• The peninsula and extra-
peninsula are quite unlike each
other in geological structure,
geological history and
physiography.
 INDO-GANGETIC PLAINS
• The indo-gangetic plains are spread over whole part of
uttar pradesh, greater part of the punjab, sindh and
northen part of Bihar, Bengal and Rajasthan.
• Indo-Gangetic-Brahmaputra Plain is the largest alluvial
tract of the world.
• It stretches for about 3,200 km from the mouth of the
Indus to the mouth of the Ganga. Indian sector of the
plain accounts for 2,400 km.
• The northern boundary is well marked by the Shiwaliks
and the southern boundary is a wavy irregular line along
the northern edge of the Peninsular India.
• The western boarder is marked by Sulaiman and Kirthar
ranges. On the eastern side, the plains are bordered by
Purvanchal hills.
 Formation of Indo-Gangetic Plain
• The formation of Indo-Gangetic plain is closely related to formation
of Himalayas.
• The rivers which were previously flowing into Tethys sea . Deposited
huge amount of sediments in the Tethys Geosyncline.
• Himalayas are formed out of these sediments which were uplifted,
folded and compressed due to northern movement of Indian Plate.
• Northern movement of Indian Plate also created a trough to the
south of Himalayas.
• The raising of Himalayas and formation of glaciers gave rise to many
new rivers. These rivers along with glacial erosion , supplied more
alluvium which intensified the filling of the depression.
 Sediment characteristics
• The IGB contains up to 2 km thickness of recent alluvial sediment
(Plio‐Pleistocene ‐ Holocene) and older Miocene rocks derived from
vigorous erosion of the Himalaya )
• The characteristics of these alluvial deposits typically change in a
predictable and systematic manner across the basin from coarse
gravel and sand dominated mega fan deposits (85% sands and
gravels) close to the mountain margins of the basin to the
progressive sand‐dominated fluvial deposits (70% fine‐medium
sands and then silt dominated (70% silts).
 DIVISION OF IGB
• The Indo Gangetic plain is broadly divided into five major
basins which are as follows.
1. The Indus basin.
2. The Punjab basin.
3. The Brahamaputra basin.
4. The Bengal basin.
5. The Ganga basin.
 GEOMORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF INDO -
GANGETIC PLAIN
1. BHANGER OR OLDER ALLUVIUM
• Covers areas of uttar pradesh and northern parts of bengal.
• The terraces are often impregnated with calcareous
concretions known as ‘KANKAR’.
• Bhangar contains fossils of animals like rhinoceros,
hippopotamus, elephants, etc.
2. KHADAR OR NEWER ALLUVIUM
• It is newer alluvium lowlying in the southern parts ,it merges with
the deltes of ganges and the brahmaputra.
• A new layer of alluvium is deposited by river flood almost every
year
• The khadar consists of calcareous concretion occuring as bands or
dispersed nodules in alluvium.
 GEOMORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF INDO -
GANGETIC PLAIN
3. The Bhabar
• It is a narrow, porous, northern most stretch of Indo-Gangetic plain.
• It is about 8-16 km wide running in east-west direction along the
foothills (alluvial fans) of the Shiwaliks.
• The porosity of bhabar is the most unique feature.
• The porosity is due to deposition of huge number of pebbles and
rock debris across the alluvial fans
4. The Terai
• The Terai is about15-30 km wide.
• It lie next to bhabar region.
 ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE.
• The Indo Gangetic Basin (IGB) alluvial aquifer
system is one of the world’s most important water
resources.
• Clay use for earthenware and brick-making
material.
• Kankar used for lime amd cement making also for
road construction material.
• Good agricultural wealth.
 HIMALAYAN GEOLOGY
The Himalayas, which stretch over 2400 km are the result of an
ongoing orogeny, the result of a collision between two continental
tectonic plates.
A. STRUCTURE AND STRATIGRAPHY
• The rock formation of himalaya have been disturbed greatly by the
complex folding, faulting, and overthrust.
• The himalaya has been subdivided into four logitudinal
geomorphic zones.
1. Tethyan himalayan zone
2. Central crystalline zone of higher himalaya.
3. Lesser himalayan zone and
4. Foredeep folded belt.
A. TETHYAN HIMALAYAN ZONE.
• This zone is at the northern extremity of the Extra-Peninsular India.
Here the Himalayan mountains rise to an average altitude of about
6000 meters. This zone consists of the marine rock beds of
Palaeozoic and Mesozoic ages: This succession rests unconformably
over the Precambrian basement.
B. CENTRAL ZONE OF HIGHER HIMALAYA.
• In this zone the average height of the mountains is also about 6000
meters but they are chiefly made up of the Precambrian basement
and the granitic plutons of Tertiary age.
C. LESSER HIMALAYAN ZONE.
• The average height of mountains in this zone is between 2000-3000
meters. The rock formations of this zone are relatively, less
metamorphosed. They are unfossiliferous and therefore their
correlation can not be done.
• They are affected by a series of thrust faults.due to which the
stratigraphic succession has been reversed in many places. The
lower part of the unfossiliferous rock formation believed to be of
Precambrian age. These are overlain by rock formations of
Gondwana age. Above these are the rocks of Ter-tiary age
D. FOREDEEP FOLDED BELT.
• This zone lies at the southern margin of the Extra-Peninsular
India. It is also called the"Siwalik Range‘.
• The low lying hills of this belt are mainly made up of the
sediments of Mio-Pliocene age.The southern boundary of this
belt is marked by the "Main boundary faults".
 Origin of Himalaya
• Origin of Himalaya is grouped under three categories:
1. Geosynclines
2. Plate tectonics
3. Vertical movement.
• Due to collision of two convergent plate boundaries [Indo-
Australian and Eurasian plate boundaries] Himalaya was uplifted.
• Indian plate is currently moving NE 5 cm/year. Eurasian plate is
moving 2 cm/year towards N. due to deformation in Eurasian
plate pressure on Indian plate occur which is 4 mm per year.
 PENINSULAR GEOLOGY
• Peninsular India or Indian peninsular shield is the area lying to
the south of the plains of the Indus and Ganges river system, is
composed of geologically ancient rocks
 DHARWAR CRATON
• The southern Indian Precambrian shield is divided into
two terrains, made up of rocks predominantly
metamorphosed up to amphibolites facies in north and
up to granulite facies in the south . The northern block is
classically termed as‘Dharwar craton
• EASTERN GHATS MOBILE BELT
• The Dharwar craton is bounded in the northeast by the Eastern Ghats
Mobile Belt EGMB), extending for over 1000 km covering a distance
of andhra pradesh and orissa.
• This is a granulite terrain mainly made up of charnockite, khondalite,
quartzite, calcgranulite,pyroxene granulite and leptynites.
• CENTRAL INDIAN PRECAMBRIAN SHIELD
• The Central Indian Shield is a mosaic of two crustal provinces,
the Southern Crustal Province (SCP) and Northern Crustal
Province (NCP) separated by a prominent East -West trending
Central Indian Shear (CIS)/ Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ).
• WESTERN INDIAN PRECAMBRIAN SHIELD
• The Precambrian of the Western Indian Shield from east to west
comprises the Banded Gneissic Complex (BGC) or craton and
the Aravalli – Delhi mobile belts with the Trans-Aravalli basins
encompassing the area west of the Aravalli mountains.
• Another features of peninsula are bastar and bundelkhand
craton,deccan trap ,western ghat.
 REFRENCES
• Geology of india by d.n.wadia.
• Stratigraphy of India by Ravindra kumar.
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/31
5147880_
• Geological_Formations_of_India.
• THANK YOU!