Morphotectonic and Basin Parameters of the Noa-Dihing River, Eastern Himalayas

Abstract

The Noa-Dihing River, an important tributary of the Brahmaputra River flows through two tectonic domains viz. Mishimi Massif and Naga-Patkai Range in the Eastern Himalayas. Active tectonics and tectonic evolution of a terrain are reflected in the basin geometry of a river. So it is easy to trace back the history of the involved tectonic forces involved the basin evolution through space and time by studying the river morphometric and the basin parameters. Seismological study of the basin and its surroundings is also another advantageous tool that helps better understanding of the evolution process, if corroborated with the morphometric and basin parameter data. The present results show existence of two distinct tectonic regimes that control the evolution of the Noa-Dihing river basin, the right bank  part of the Noa-Dihing falling on the Mishimi Massif, and the left bank part and the upper catchment falling in the Naga-Patkai range of the Indo-Myanmar tectonic belt. From the results it appears that lithology is also one of the controlling factors for the arising basin geometry. The downstream part of the basin is structurally controlled and got tilted northward.