Natural Processes and Anthropogenic Activity in the Indus River Sedimentary Environment in Pakistan: A Critical Review

Abstract

The Indus River is Asia’s longest river, having its origin in the Tibet Mountain northwest of Pakistan. Routed from northern Gilgit and flowing to the plains, the river passes through several provinces and is connected by numerous small and large tributaries. The river was formed tectonically due to the collusion of the Indian and Eurasian plates, which is referred to as the Indus suture Plains zone (ISPZ). The geological setting of the study area is mainly composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks. The river passed through a variety of climatic zones and areas, although the predominant climate is subtropic arid and sub arid to subequatorial. Locally and globally, anthropogenic activities such as building, dams, and water canals for irrigation purposes, mining exploration, and industries and factories all affected the physical and chemical behaviors of the sediments in various rivers. The main effect of human activities is the reworking of weathered soil smectite, a chemical weathering indicator that rises in the offshore record about 5000 years ago. This material indicates increased transport of stronger chemically weathered material, which may result from agriculture-induced erosion of older soil. However, we also see evidence for the incision of large rivers into the floodplain, which is also driving the reworking of this type of material, so the signal may be a combination of the two. Sediments undergo significant changes in form and size due to clashing with one another in the high-charge river.

SOC stocks prediction on the basis of spatial and temporal variation in soil properties by using partial least square regression

“…And in winter season, major percentage of samples i.e., 61% lied from 0.1 ppm to 15 ppm. The phosphate concentration ranges also coincided with the available studies of the region 58 , 59 .…”

Distribution, Risk Assessment and Source Identification of Potentially Toxic Elements in Coal Mining Contaminated Soils of Makarwal, Pakistan: Environmental and Human Health Outcomes

“…The sources of trace metal pollution in the soil samples were influenced by many factors, including natural and anthropogenic ones, as also reported by Hussain et al [18] and Chifflet et al [58]. Natural factors can be, for example, the weathering processes of rocks and minerals [59][60][61], while in many cases, the anthropogenic factors can include several activities, such as urban, agricultural, industrial, mining, or transportation [2,9,11,[61][62][63][64][65].…”

Integrated Underground Mining Hazard Assessment, Management, Environmental Monitoring, and Policy Control in Pakistan

“…Although mining is now considered a cornerstone of the Pakistan economy, because of its unique geological conditions, Pakistan is blessed with enormous mineral deposits spanning an area of 600,000 km 2 [13] (Figure 1). Pakistan has a diverse range of rock types, from Pre-Cambrian to recent, with remarkable geological and geomorphological characteristics [14,15]. Coal, copper, gold, chromite, mineral salt, and numerous more minerals are among the 92 known minerals, 52 of which are economically utilized [16,17].…”