Drainage network and lineament analysis: An approach for Potwar Plateau (Northern Pakistan)

Abstract

Drainage responds rapidly to tectonic changes and thus it is a potential parameter for tectonogeomorphological analysis. Drainage network of Potwar is a good geological record of movement, displacements, regional uplifts and erosion of the tectonic units. This study focuses on utilizing drainage network extracted from Shuttle Radar Digital Elevation Data (SRTM-DEM) in order to constrain the structure of the Potwar Plateau. SWAN syncline divides Potwar into northern Potwar deformed zone (NPDZ) and southern Potwar platform zone (SPPZ). We extracted the drainage network from DEM and analyzed 112 streams using stream power law. Spatial distribution of concavity and steepness indices were used to prepare uplift rate map for the area. DEM was further utilized to extract lineaments to study the mutual relationship between lineaments and drainage patterns. We compared the local correlation between the extracted lineaments and drainage network of the area that gives us quantitative information and shows promising prospects. The streams in the NPDZ indicate high steepness values as compared to the streams in the SPPZ. The spatial distribution of geomorphic parameters and uplift rates suggest the distinctive deformation among eastern, central and western parts. The local correlation between drainage network and lineaments from DEM is strongly positive in the area within 1 km of radius.

Evaluating Morphometric Parameters of Haro River Drainage Basin in Northern Pakistan

“…Downstream from Khanpur Dam (near Sultanpur), the Haro makes a major diversion at Gandghar Range, resulting in a drainage divide between the Haro and Dor rivers [17]. This drainage divide has been previously reported as a function of local tectonics and the rock-type features [18]. Moreover, a series of thrusts has been previously observed upstream in the Haro as well [19].…”

Active Tectonics Revealed by River Profiles along the Puqu Fault

“…These tectonic activities may alter river network mainly through changes of fluvial incision rates and stream diversion by modifying erosion base level [8][9][10]. The river network, on the other hand, is continuously responding to tectonic forcing and accordingly provides potential meaningful information about spatial variation of uplift across landscape [1,[11][12][13][14]. Furthermore, the drainage network may continuously adjust to changes of surface slope, and consequently it shows potential in recording information related to evolution of faults and folds [15,16].…”

“…This power-law relationship has been widely used in past studies, and its usefulness has been verified in both detachment-limited and transport-limited river systems. For example, Snyder et al [19] have analyzed landscape responses to tectonic forcing in the Mendocino Triple Junction region in Northern California; Lague et al [20] have estimated uplift rate and erodibility using the area-slope relationship in Brittany, France; Kirby and Whipple [21] have successfully quantified differential rock uplift rates through the stream profile analysis in the area of Siwalik Hills in Central Nepal; Schoenbohm et al [4] have calculated the surface uplift in the Red River region in Yunnan Province of China; Shahzad et al [14] employed Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data to extract draining network for regional tectonic analysis in Potwar Plateau in Northern Pakistan; a similar approach was utilized by Shahzad et al [22] to understand tectonic geomorphology in Kaghan Valley in Northern Pakistan; Anoop et al [23] suggested the existence of large-scale tectonic deformation from the calculated geomorphic indices across the Kaurik-Chango Fault region in the Upper Spiti Valley, Northwestern Himalaya; Fuchs et al [24] estimated the impacts of tectonics and climate change on the Panj River in Pamir Plateau through an analysis of fluvial incision and stream profile of the Panj river network. These studies have revealed a direct power-law relationship between the steepness index ks and the rock uplift rate U.…”

Nonlinear analysis of drainage systems to examine surface deformation: an example from Potwar Plateau (Northern Pakistan)

“…In tectonic geomorphological analysis, the heterogeneities take the form of breaks, linearity and asymmetries in drainage systems that are due to the ongoing surface and subsurface geological processes. These processes are episodic in nature and the drainage patterns can preserve their cumulative effects (Shahzad et al, 2009;Bull, 2007).…”

“…Previous studies have proposed that the linear (Wobus et al, 2006;Shahzad et al, 2009) and nonlinear analysis (Dombradi et al, 2007;Gloaguen et al, 2007;Guillermo et al, 2004;Shahzad and Gloaguen, 2010a) of individual streams as well as the whole drainage network may be used to investigate surface deformation. The linear techniques mainly focus on the secondary parameters e.g.…”