International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 7, Issue 11, November-2016 526 ISSN 2229-5518 Review Article Narmada Rift Valley & Quaternary Sedimentation A A Khan, Maria Aziz Abstract— The Narmada river originates at Amarkantak at an elevation of about 1057 m above m.s.l. it descends across the rugged and mountainous tract through deep and steep gorges in straight sinuous to meandering pattern over a distance of 1300 km across the middle of the Indian sub-continent to join the Gulf of Cambay in Arabian sea in Gujarat state. In the area of study in lower Narmada between Grudeshwar and Baruche is occupied by thick Quaternary deposits of about 800 m which represent various domain of sedimentation. Based on sedimentlogical characters, depositional environments, erosional processes and their relation with depositional activity revealed that it comprised of four domains of sediments viz glacial, fluvio-glacial fluvial and tidal flats. The lower most units (Boulder bed) are, of glacial origin, followed by the boulder conglomerate of glacio-fluvial and subsequently by fluvial of paleo- domain of Narmada and tidal flats. The top four formations Ankleshwar, Tilakwarda & Bharuch and Aliabat are designated as (NTo-NT3). Boulder conglomerate is assigned an independent formational status based on distinct lithology and fossil assemblage. The area of study has repurcassions of impact of movements of the Indian Plate which is currently moving northeast at 5 cm/yr (2 in/yr), while the Eurasian Plate is moving northeast at only 2 cm/yr (0.8 in/yr). This 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. The Narmada Rift valley formed a linear trench in the middle of Indian subcontinent which was an ideal locus for accumulation of sediments. The Quaternary sedimentation incepting from glacial activity, followed by fluvio-glacial, lacustrine and fluvial phase within the rinsing and sinking environment, block faulting, linear displacement and dislocation, uplifting and isolated domal up- lift, Neogene rifting and Quaternary sedimentation and rift-bound Pliocene–Pleistocene rifting and volcanic activity specifically during glacial and fluvio-glacial phase are major component of the Quaternary period and tectonic processes of the Narmada Rift System which form the base of quaternary deposits.In Narmada Rift system taking as single ecological unit for Quaternary sedimentation & tectonics and presence of the Katni Formation in central sector with angiosperm flora suggests that sedimentation continued during Mio-Pliocene in localized lakes. The relative disposition of such lakes and subsequent deformation and structural dislocation on oscillating valley platform clubbed with rifting and faulting during Quaternary period has shifted the site of the lakes towards the present alluvium-covered area between Harda -Jabalpur, Garudeshwar and Bharouch as presumed: where as the present study of various aspects of Quaternary blanket in SONATA LINEAMENT ZONE reveled that quaternary sedimentation was a sequential and continuous process in rift valley system from Mio-Pliocene Pleistocene time, has deposited complete sequence of glacial, fluvio- glacial lacustrine fluvialIJSER and tidal deposits with changing environments and climate in time & space . Index Terms— narmada, rift valley, sedimentation, repurcassions, eurasian plate, ecology, india, river. —————————— ———————— 1. INTRODUCTION Vindhyan in the north and Satpura in the south. The The Narmada river originates from the Amarkantak valley has maximum width of about 32 kms. plateau of Satpura Ranges in Rewa at an elevation of The principal tributaries of Narmada River are Sher about 1057 m (220 40’ -810 45’) flows westerly course and Sakkar in Narsingpur, the Tawa and Ganjal in for about 1300 kms length across the middle of Indian Hoshangabad, and Gaur in Jabalpur. They all subcontinent before entering Gulf of Cambay in the originate from the Satpura hills to the south of the Arabian sea near Baroda in Gujarat state. It enters the trunk channel. The only important tributary in the fertile alluvial plain and passes through the gorge of north is Hiran River, which emerge from the about 19 kms long consisting of Marble rocks near Vindhyan hills in Jabalpur district. Jabalpur.It then takes westerly turn through the The river course of Narmada conspicuously straight alluvial tract, situated between the Satpura and and is controlled by ENE_WSW to E_W lineament, is Vindhyan hills. The river course of Narmada bounded by Vindhyan in the north and Satpura in the conspicuously straight and is controlled by south it is exposed the repeated post erisional and ENE_WSW to E_W lineament, is bounded by depositional activities and subjected to anisotropic IJSER © 2016 http://www.ijser.org International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, Volume 7, Issue 11, November-2016 527 ISSN 2229-5518 and asymmetric tectonic dislocation which has increasing antiquity from the base. The study of bore culminated diversified morphogenetic units and data of ETO, CGWB, and GSI indicates and average region which further undergone to process of tectonic thickness of quaternary deposits of about 435 m. The evolution and chiseling of terrain by dynamic quaternary deposits bear well preserved imprints of erosional and depositional activity resulting in and neotectonisam indicating that the Sonata lineament reshaping the terrain into various morphogenetic zone seismically is active and has direct bearing on units and land form element, configuration of quaternary landscape of rift valley. The Harda – drainage, topography, physiographic , erosional Mandleshwar section predominenently portrays the platform, planation surfaces, denudation ridges, sequence of cyclic and noncyclical rock cut terraces structural units linear valleys, strike hills, valley and rock cut platform and benches which are time gapes, escarpments and river terraces. The cumulative equivalent to the quaternary terraces of central and dynamics of structural deformation, rinsing and lower Narmada valley Khan et.al (2014). The sinking platform of Narmada has also manifested Gurudeshwar-Bharouche embodies the thickest concealed cyclic mechanism of tectonics and quaternary deposits which represents complete geothermic activity hydrological activity, seismicity, sequence from the base glacial fluvio-galcial fluvial, neosiesmic events and in surface manifestation. In lacustrine and mud deposits. This segment is about 90 addition the valley gapes and valley trenches km in length and forms the southern margin of the provided ideal sites for sedimentation for formation N–S extending Gujarat alluvial plains. The bore hole of quaternary platform, pediment, pediplain, data of ONGC, CGWB, GSI of deep geology in the peniplain and river terraces. basin have revealed occurrence of Deccan Trap at The Narmada flows along tectonically active NSF depths of 6000 m followed by an Achaean basement which forms a fault controlled basin of a huge (Roy, 1990). The quaternary landscape has been thickness of Tertiary and Quaternary sediments. The chiseled in to step sequence of terraces (NT1 –NT3) thick blanket of Quaternary sediments occurs in the which are both paired and none paired in nature and central part of valley in Jabalpur –Harda section and are time equivalent to the terraces of central sector of in Gurudeshwar – Bharouche section in lower of Narmada. valley; where as in the other part in Harda – Mandleshwar section thin and isolated caps and 2. INDIAN PLATE & QUATERNARY strips of quaternary sediments are noticed on rock cut TECTONICS terraces and rockIJSER benches of country rocks. In The Indian Plate is currently moving northeast at 5 Mandleshwar-Barwani, Dhadgaon- Tilakwarda the cm/yr (2 in/yr), while the Eurasian Plate is moving quaternary deposits are shallow to moderate in northeast at only 2 cm/yr (0.8 in/yr). This is causing thickness and thin out to wards east. The isolated the Eurasian Plate to deform, and the Indian Plate to locus of accumulation and sedimentation along the compress leading to tectonic activity along major fault entire length of 1300 kms of Narmada is controlled by zones. the tectonics and structural frame work and sinking In tectonically active areas sedimentary basins and uplift of fault bounded blocks and lineaments. It undergo phases of both crustal extension and is well illustrated by neoseismic signatures and contraction leading to basin inversion and hence imprints on quaternary deposits and landscapes in display features typical of subsidence and uplift. the valley. The critical analysis of landscape profile Geomorphic attributes and deformation in late evolution of drainage,