Professional Documents
Culture Documents
November 2007
Special Issue
JOURNAL
OF
NEPAL GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
ABSTRACTS
Fifth Nepal Geological Congress
on Geology, Environment, and Natural Hazards Mitigation:
Key to National Development
2627 November 2007
Kathmandu, Nepal
EDITORIAL BOARD
Chief Editor
Dr. Rajendra Bahadur Shrestha
Department of Mines and Geology
Lainchaur, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel.: 977-1-4437874
Email:info@ngs.org.np
Editors
Dr. Dinesh Pathak
Department of Geology,
Tri-Chandra Campus, Tribhuvan University
Ghantaghar, Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel.: 0977-1-4268034
Email: dineshpathak@wlink.com.np
Members
Mr. L. N. Rimal
Vice-President, NGS, Nepal
Dr. Danda Pani Adhikari
General Secretary, NGS, Nepal
Mr. Sudhir Rajaure
Member, NGS, Nepal
Mr. Dharma Raj Khadka
Treasurer, NGS, Nepal
Mr. A. N. Bhandary
Ex-President, NGS, Nepal
Mr. A. M. Dixit
Ex-President, NGS, Nepal
Mr. K. P. Kaphle
Ex-President, NGS, Nepal
Professor Dr. B. N. Upreti
Ex-President, NGS, Nepal
Mr. P. S. Tater
Ex-President, NGS, Nepal
Dr. R. M. Tuladhar
Ex-President, NGS, Nepal
Dr. Toran Sharma
Managing Director, NESS
Dr. V. Dangol
Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Dr. D. R. Kansakar
Department of Irrigation
Mr. G. S. Pokhrel
NEA, Nepal
Mr. S. P. Mahato
DMG, Nepal
Mr. B. M. Jnawali
PEPP, DMG, Nepal
Mr. B. R. Aryal,
DMG, Nepal
Mr. J. N. Shrestha
Ministry of Industries and Commerce and Supply
Mr. J. L. Shrestha
Department of Irrigation
Mr. Keshav Kunwar
SCAEF Nepal
Mr. Shiva Kumar Sharma
Himal Hydro
Advisory Committee
Professor Dr. M. P. Sharma
Vice-Chancellor, Tribhuvan University
Director General, DMG
Director General, DoI
Director General, DWIDP
Director General, DoR
Director General, DoLIDAR
Managing Director, NEA
Director General, ICIMOD
Mr. M. R. Pandey, Hon. Member, NGS
Mr. B. M. Pradhan, Hon. Member, NGS
Mr. J. M. Tater, Ex-President, NGS
Mr. G. S. Thapa, Ex-President, NGS
Mr. N. D. Maskey, Ex-President, NGS
Mr. N. B. Kayastha, Ex-President, NGS
Mr. V. S. Chhetri, Ex-President, NGS
Dr. P. C. Adhikary
CDG, Tribhuvan University
Mr. D. B. Thapa, Ex-DC, NEA
Mr. P. R. Joshi, Ex-DDG, DMG
Congress Secretariat
Mr. Rajesh Dhungana
CDG, TU
Mr. A. M. S. Pradhan
CDG, TU
Mr. U. K. Raghubanshi
CDG, TU,
Mr. B. R. Pant
CDG, TU
Acknowledgements
The Nepal Geological Society is going to organise the Fifth Nepal Geological Congress on the theme Geology, Environment,
and Natural Hazards Mitigation: Key to National Development from 26 to 27 November 2007 in Kathmandu, Nepal. We
express our hearty felicitations to all the participants and guests of the Congress. The Nepal Geological Society is indebted to
the individuals and organisations that generously supported and co-operated to make this Congress a success. We are
confident that this Congress will be an impressive gathering of geoscientists from all over the world.
The Nepal Geological Society expresses its sincere gratitude to the following organisations for providing the generous
financial support:
Similarly, the Nepal Geological Society also sincerely acknowledges the following institutions and organisations for
financial support and kind co-operation:
Contents
General Geology, Tectonics, and Seismicity
Why geological maps?
J. Stcklin ............................................................................................................................................................................... 1
The growth and rise of Tibet: hidden plate tectonics, 4D evolution of the mantle, and topographic evolution
P. Tapponnier .......................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Spatial distribution of frontal faults in Nepal Himalaya
M. R. Dhital ............................................................................................................................................................................ 2
Similar earthquake swarms in the trace of southern Tibetan grabens reveal a subtle strain transient event
along the Main Himalayan Thrust
L. Bollinger, S. Rajaure, and S. N. Sapkota ........................................................................................................................... 3
Seismo-tectonics of the Shillong Plateau - a geodynamic perspective through remote sensing
B. P. Duarah and S. Phukan ................................................................................................................................................... 3
An investigation on the temporal variation of seismicity in Indo-Burma border region
N. C. Barman and S. Kalita .................................................................................................................................................... 4
Dry climatic evidence in central Himalaya around 40 ka from lacustrine sediments of Kathmandu Basin, Nepal
A. P. Gajurel, C. France-Lanord, P. Huyghe,J. L. Mugnier, T. Sakai, H. Sakai, and B. N. Upreti ......................................... 4
Contemporary tectonic stress field in the Himalaya-Tibet orogen: a view from 2D finite element modeling
D. Chamlagain and D. Hayashi ............................................................................................................................................. 5
Geology and tectonic setting of the volcaniclastic succession ofthe Upper Cretaceous,
western Sulaiman fold belt, Pakistan
T. Khan ................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Depositional environmental change of the Kathmandu Valley sediments inferred from the stratigraphy,
sedimentological and mineralogical study
M. R. Paudel and H. Sakai ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Petrology of granulites of the Shillong Plateau from west Garo Hills district, Meghalaya, India
B. Bhagabaty and A. C. Mazumdar ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Lithostratigraphy of Baitadi area, far western Nepal
A. S. Mahara ........................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Late Pleistocene plant macrofossils from the Gokarna Formation of the Kathmandu valley, central Nepal
S.. Bhandari, K. N. Paudayal, and A. Momohara .................................................................................................................. 8
Mineralogy, petrochemistry and genesis of scheelite-bearing skarns and related acid magmatism
at Sargipali, Eastern India
S. Chowdhury ......................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Major and trace element geochemistry of granitic augen gneisses from Tamakoshi-Likhu Khola area, east Nepal
K. R. Regmi ............................................................................................................................................................................. 9
Thermal evolution of the Lesser Himalaya, central Nepal: Insights from white mica compositions and K-Ar ages
L. P. Paudel, T. Itaya, and K. Arita ....................................................................................................................................... 10
33
i
34
ii
35
iii
REFERENCE
Paudel, M. and Sakai, H., 2005, Depositional environments and
stratigraphic position of the Sunakothi Formation in the
southern part of the Kathmandu Valley, Central Nepal, Abstract,
the 112th Annual Meeting of the Geol. Soc. Japan, pp. 339.
Intercalated and cofolded bands of Mg-poor and Mgrich Cordierite + Sillimanite + Garnet + Orthopyroxene bearing
metapelites and Orthopyroxene + Clinopyroxene
Hornblende bearing basic granulites constitute locally the
garnuite facies terrain in the West Garo Hills district in
Meghalaya, India. These rocks show the evidences of poly
metamorphism indicating the peak events, the pre-S2 granulite
facies metamorphism (M2) which was followed by subsequent
M3, syn-S2, the dominant solid-state fabric-forming episode
in the area. The last metamorphic phase is M4 events
postdated S2. The earliest metamorphic fabrics so far
recognized are as inclusion phases (M1, syn- to post-S1) in
M2 porphyroblasts representing another high-grade
metamorphic events, which erased out due to the subsequent
metamorphic episodes. Petrographic evidences indicate that
metapelites preserve prograde P-T path and high temperature
anatexis of the rocks before attaining granulite facies
condition (M2) while textural features in basic granulites
clearly indicate a prograde path in terms of hornblende
breakdown reaction. The geothermobarometric data on core
composition pre- S2 (M2) mineral assemblages in combination
with a comparison of relevant experimental data indicate that
the peak metamorphic average temperature 730C and 750C
10
All rock units of the LHS below the MCT dip towards
NNE while the rocks of the HHCS immediately above the
MCT dip northwards; further north in the middle section,
they dip generally ENE to ESE and megascopic synclinal and
anticlinal folds.
12
Evidence for seismicity in the lower crust and upper mantle in the Nepal
Himalaya, implication for the rheology of the lithosphere
S. Rajaure1, S. N. Sapkota1, J. P. Avouac2, and L. Bollinger3
Department of Mines and Geology, Nepal
California Institute of Technology (Caltech), USA
3
Departement Analyse Surveillance Environnement (DASE), France
1
13
14
1
Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, UMR 7154, 4, Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France
National Seismic Centre, Department of Mines and Geology, Lainchaur, Kathmandu, Nepal
3
Dpartement Analyse Surveillance Environnement,
Commissariat lnergie atomique, 91680 Bruyres-le-Chtel, France
4
Central Department of Geology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal
5
Centre de Recherches Ptrographiques et Gochimiques/CNRS, BP20 54501,
Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France
6
Colorado School of Mines, Golden, USA
(*Email:perrier@ipgp.jussieu.fr)
15
greater than 7.5 m. In this zone porosity has also been reduced.
There is no clear evidence of the change in the physical
parameters (velocity, porosity and electrical conductivity) at
depth less than 7.5 m and between 18 m and 20 m. This may
be due to the high velocity of the groundwater flow in these
zones. The velocity between the pair of model boreholes BH3 and BH-4 is greater than 0.11 m/ns. In this model site porosity
is less than 12% and the predominant value of porosity is
around 10%.
grain ranges from 36.37 to 59.78 MPa with average value 43.1
MPa and SD of 9.59 MPa. Similalry, the elasticity of the tested
sample of slate ranges from 1055.4 to 2974 MPa having mean
value of 1774 MPa and SD of 740 MPa. Water absorption by
weight is 0.789 to 1.473 having mean value 1.02 and SD 0.3.
While, the weather resistance of the slate lies within 0.31 mm
to 0.55 mm with average value of 0.41 mm and SD is 0.1.
Abrasion by weight has a range from 14.3 to 20.4 with average
value 16.22 and SD 2.73. The permeability, sulphuric acid
immersion, and wetting and drying tests give excellent results
to the slate.
It was observed that from the field study, there is finegrained with a fairly perfect natural cleavage, readily splitable
into thin and smooth sheets of slate at Seratar (3000 m
northwest from Tharpu Bazaar) and Otandi (1000 m west from
Tharpu Bazaar). Due to this thin splitting properties, most
slate are used for roofing purpose. On the basis of physiochemical testing and Petrological study, the slate of Nourpul
Formation at Seratar and Benighat slate at Otandi are best for
roofing as well as construction purpose even though inferior
to the ASTM standard.
17
18
19
20
21
22
hilly region causing a death toll of 178 people and 721 people
respectively.
In the same way, due to rugged mountain topography, its
fragile geological nature, and high intensity rainfall during
the monsoon, the mountain terrains are vulnerable to
landslides and debris flow. Landslides are occurring in every
monsoon period causing loss in lots of life and properties.
The landslides and debris flows during 1993 was a nightmare
that had taken the lives of 1259 people affecting 44 districts
and damaging many bridges and dams as well bringing a
total loss of more than 47194 Million Rupees. Disaster such
as floods, landslides, thunderbolt, fire, hailstorm, windstorm
and epidemic brings a huge loss in life and properties every
year. Many national and international organizations are
working in disaster management to cope with natural disaster
and to reduce its impacts. This paper mainly deals with natural
disaster related to earthquake, landslides and floods and its
mitigation to make people aware of such kind of
disaster in future.
24
26
28
29
extrapolated into the future. This would call for a new cold
period or Little Ice Age to occur at around 2040-2050. Still,
we hear nothing about this. It is as if IPCC and the Kyoto
Protocol enthusiasts want to switch off the Sun itself. In
the global warming concept, it has been constantly claimed
that there will be a causal rise in sea level; a rise that already
is in the accelerating mode, in the near future to cause
extensive and disastrous flooding of low-lying coastal areas
and islands. Is this facts or fiction? It is true that we are
flooded by this information. The recording and understanding
of past changes in sea level, and its relation to other changes
(climate, glacial volume, gravity potential variations, rotational
changes, ocean current variability, evaporation/precipitation
changes, etc.) is the key to sound estimates of future changes
in sea level.
30
Author Index
A
Joshi, S. R. 25
Adhikari, A. R. 18
Adhikari, D. P. 25
Arita, K. 10
Avouac, J. P. 13
K
Kalita, S. 4, 14, 26
Kaphle, K. P. 23
Kayastha, P. 19, 34
Khan, T. 6
Khanal, R. P. 27
Khwaja, Azam A. 21
Koirala, B. 15
Koirala, M. P. 22
B
Barman, N. C. 4, 14
Bhagabaty, B 7
Bhandari, S. 8
Bollinger, L. 3, 13, 15
Byrdina, S. 15
Mahara, A. S. 8
Manandhar, S. P. 23
Mazumdar, A. C. 7
Momohara, A. 8
MonaLisa 21
Monsur, Md. Hussain 30
Mugnier, J. L. 4
Chamlagain, D. 5
Chitrakar, G. R. 23
Chowdhury, S. 9
Contraires, S. 15
Dhital, M. R. 2
Duarah, B. P. 3
Duvadi, A. K. 23
Dwivedi, S. 22
Dwivedi, S. K. 22
Nepali, D. 23
Neupane, N. R. 17
Ojha, G. 22
France-Lanord, C. 4, 15
Pant, B. 27
Pant, S. R. 15, 16
Pathak, D. 25, 28
Paudayal, K. N. 8
Paudel, L. P. 10, 15, 17, 27
Paudel, M. R. 6
Perrier, F. 15
Phukan, S. 3
Piya, B. 23
Pradhan, A. M. S. 18
Gajurel, A. P. 4, 25, 28
Gautam, U. 15
Ghimire, T. 27
H
Hayashi, D. 5
Huyghe, P. 4
Itaya, T. 10
Raghubanshi, U. K. 18
Rai, S. M. 11, 29
Rajaure, S. 3, 13, 15
J
Jan, M. Q. 21
31
Regmi, K. R. 9
Revil, A. 15
Richon, P. 15
Rimal, L. N. 23
Talikdar, N. K. 26
Tapponnier, P. 1
Thapa, P. B. 22
Tiwari, D. R. 15
Saha, S. K. 30
Sakai, H. 4, 6
Sakai, T. 4
Sapkota, S. N. 3, 13, 15
Shrestha, G. B. 25, 28
Shrestha, P. 15
Stcklin, J. 1
Sunuwar, S. C. 16
Ulak, P. D. 11
Upreti, B. N. 4, 11, 29
Y
Yoshida, M. 11, 29
32
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All references mentioned in the text, figures, captions, and tables must be listed in the References section. Only references
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Auden, J. B., 1934, Traverses in the Himalaya. Rec. Geol. Surv. India, v. 69(2), pp. 133167.
Todd, D. K., 1980, Groundwater Hydrology. John Wiley & Sons, Singapore, 535 p.
Tokuoka, T. and Yoshida, M., 1984, Some characteristics of Siwalik (Churia) Group in Chitwan Dun, Central Nepal. Jour. Nepal
Geol. Soc., v. 4, (Sp. Issue), pp. 2655.
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