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Ch-2:Engineering geology in Himalayas
• Major discontinuities system of the Nepal Himalaya and their
engineering significance
• Major engineering geological problems of Nepal Himalayas
• Importance of engineering geological information system in Nepalese
context
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
Formation of Himalaya
Himalaya is the product of collision between Indian and Eurasian plates
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
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बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
Shifting of
Indian
plate
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
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बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
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Block Diagram of
The Himalaya
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
The Nepal Himalaya
• The longest division of the Himalaya
The Himalayan range extends about 2400km from Indus
River is west to Aasam in the east.
• Extended about 800 Km (Nepal Himalaya)
• Starts from west at the Mahakali River
• Ends at the east by the Tista River
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
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Longitudinal Division of
Himalayan Range
Divided into five tectonic zones
• Gangetic Plain (Terai)
Himalayan Frontal Thrust
HFT
• Sub-Himalayan Zone (Siwaliks)
Main Boundary Thrust
• Lesser Himalayan Zone MBT
Main Central Thrust
MCT
• Higher Himalayan Zone
South Tibetan Detachment System
STDS
• Tibetan-Tethys Zone
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
Terai Zone (Gangetic Plain)
• Northern Terai
(Bhabhar Zone)
• Middle Terai
(Marshy) Zone
• Southern Terai Zone
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
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10-12 km 5-10 km
12 km
Sand Silt and Clay
Gravel and Sand
Division of Terai Zone
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
Major problems in terai zone
• Flood
• Liquifaction
• Bank cutting or scouring
• Subsidences
• Channel shifting of river
• Earthquake
• Excessive deposit of
Sediments.
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
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Siwaliks
Tinau River Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT)
Separating Terai (S) from
Siwaliks (N) at Butwal area.
HFT
It is the tectonic contact between
Siwalik and Terai zone. This fault is
considered active. Its originated
around 1.6 million years ago
Butwal
Terai
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
The Sub-Himalayan Zone (Siwaliks)
• Delimited on the south by the Main Frontal Thrust (MFT) and on the
north by the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT)
• Fluvial deposits of 23 Ma to 1.6 Ma old
Siwaliks can be classified as
• Lower Siwaliks (Greenish grey fine-grained sandstone and siltstone
with mudstone)
• Middle Siwaliks (Medium to coarse-grained salt-and-pepper
sandstones with colorful mudstone)
• Upper Siwaliks (Conglomerate and boulder beds and
subordinately sand and silt beds)
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
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Mudstone
Siltstone
Sandstone
Siltstone
Mudstone
Alternating Bands in Lower Siwaliks
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
Lesser Himalaya
Siwaliks MBT
Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) in Dang
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
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Major problems in Siwaliks
• Mass movement
• Creep
• Debris flow
• earthquake
• Erosion (Gully and River)
• Weathering
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
Lesser Himalayan Zone
This zone Mainly contains
• Unfossiliferous, sedimentary, and metasedimentary rocks:
Such as slate, phyllite, schist, quartzite, limestone, dolomite, etc of very old
age (1600 Ma to 22 Ma)
• There are also some granitic intrusions in this zone
• In Eastern Nepal, high grade metamorphic rocks (gneiss and
schist)
• In Central Nepal, Medium to high grade metamorphic rocks
• In western Nepal around Gandaki and Bheri River, Low
grade of metamorphic rocks (quartzite, slate, and phyllite)
• In Far western Nepal, again high metamorphic rocks are
reappear.
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
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Major problems in lesser himalaya
• Mass movement:
• Rock slide,
• Rock fall
• Rock toppling
• Debris avalanche,
• Deep gully erosion,
• Wedge failure
• Flash flood
• Earthquake
• Toe cutting
• Debris flow
• Weathering
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
Higher Himalayan Rocks
MCT
Lesser Himalayan Rocks
Kaligandaki River
Main Central
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Thrust
Deepak (MCT) Geologist)
Gautam (Engineering at Myagdi
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Higher Himalyan Zone
• Mainly consists of 10-12 km thick succession of high grade
metamorphic rocks
• Lies between MCT and STDS
• Gneisses, schists, quartzites and marbles and granites in
association with high-grade index minerals like kyanite, garnet
etc.
• Has extremely high relief, steep topography, rocky cliff and
outcrops with little soil cover terrain
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
Major problems of Higher Himalaya
• Mass movement
• Earthquake
• Wind erosion
• Rock fall
• weathering
• GLOF
• Snow avalanches
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
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Tibetan-Tethys Himalayan Zone
It begins from the top of the Higher Himalayan
Zone and extends to the north in Tibet
Well-developed in Mustang, Manang and
Dolpa area
This area covered with very loose and fragile,
thick glacial and fluvial-glacial deposits along
with recent alluvium, Major Problems
Composed of fossiliferous sedimentary rocks, • Debris avalanche
such as shale, limestone, and sandstone, • Rock fall
ranging in age from 550 Ma to 23 Ma • Wind erosion
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
Engineering Geological Problems in Himalayas
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
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Terai Zone
Main Rock Type:
Alluvium
Plain area has mainly problems of Floods
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
Terai Vulnerable to Flood
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
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Siwaliks Zone
Main Rock Type:
Shale, Conglomerate, Sandstone, Mudstone
Composed of Loose rock, problems of relatively small and shallow slope
failure
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
Siwaliks
Shallow failures are common
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
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Lesser Himlayan Zone
Main Rock Type:
Slate, Phyliite, Schist, Gneiss, Limestone, Dolomite, Quartzite
Old hard rock, thick soil formation, thick colluvium deposit in lower
part of mountain slope, problems of large slope failures
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
Higher Himalyan Zone
Main Rock Type:
Gneiss, Schist, Quartzite
Less soil formation, steep slopes, mainly rock slope
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020
failures
Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
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Tibetan Tethys Himalayan Zone
Main Rock Type:
Limestone, Shale, Sandstone
No soil formation, barren slope, rock slope failure, wind
erosion, debris avalanche
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
Why Himalayas are so vulnerable ????
Because it has High Energy Environment……..
• High relief (60-8848m): Slope failure,
• Active tectonics: Weak, unstable and permeable
thrust zone
• Seismically active
• Mass movement
• Concentrated Precipitation (93% in summer, 37%
in 24 hrs)
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
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Hostile Natural Environment of Himalaya
River Cutting Down Quickly
Rocks Weathering Quickly
Mountains Still Rising
Slope Too Steep
Leads to
Degradation
(Mass Movement and Soil Erosion)
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
बिहीवार, अगस्त 27, 2020 Deepak Gautam (Engineering Geologist)
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