Late Quaternary alluvial fans and paleosols of the Kangra basin,NW Himalaya: Tectonic and paleoclimatic implications

The paper describes Late Quaternary pedosedimentary sequences of the alluvial fans from the Kangra basin of NW Himalayas for tectonic and paleoclimatic implications. In the proximal part of the Kangra basin three coalescing alluvial fans, namely Rait-Rihlu fans (~ 65 km²), Kangra fans (~ 200 km²), and Palampur fans (~ 170 km²) from west to east evolved due to reactivation of longitudinal and transverse faults and climatic changes during the Late Quaternary. The fans are characterised by subsidence of Rait-Rihlu fans, uplift of Kangra fans and tilting of Palampur fans. The thick (~ 90 m) pedosedimentary sequences exposed along the rivers characterise the dominant formative processes over the fans. The stream flow sediments dominate the Rait-Rihlu fans, whereas the debris flow sediments dominate the Kangra and Palampur fans. The fan sequences are also marked by the formation of strongly developed paleosols on loess (L1–L3 loess paleosols) and weakly developed paleosols on fluvial deposits in response to the tectonics and climate change in NW Himalayas.