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Quaternary International 338 (2014) 119e124
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Forum communication
Reply to Comments from R. Kar and T. Chakraborty on our paper
“Geomorphology in relation to tectonics: A case study from the
eastern Himalayan foothill of West Bengal, India”
Chandreyee Chakrabarti Goswami a, *, Dhruba Mukhopadhyay b, B.C. Poddar c
a
Asutosh College, 92 S P Mukherjee Road, Kolkata, West Bengal 700026, India
b
Raman Center for Applied and Interdisciplinary Sciences, 16A Jheel Road, Kolkata 700075, India
c
BE 267, Saltlake City, Kolkata 700064, India
We thank Kar and Chakraborty for their comments on our pa-
per; this has given us the opportunity to clarify some of the issues
discussed in our paper. They have questioned our observations and
interpretations, and have commented on our “lack of understand-
ing on the terrace formation”. Ignoring the fact that we have
designated the terraces as cut-and-fill ones, they have levelled the
criticism that we “have completely ignored the question of aggra-
dation of the terraces”. What does ‘fill’ mean? We leave it for the
readers to judge such comments. We place below our response to
their comments.
1. Nowhere have we stated that there were no phases of aggra-
dation during formation of multiple terraces. By invoking the
cut-and-fill mechanism, we emphasized the interplay of
aggradation and incision in forming the terraces. We summa-
rize here the main points of our model. We start with the
premise that initially a fan surface T4 was built up which was
drained by a number of rivers. Movement on the Matiali blind
thrust deformed this surface into a ramp anticline on the
hanging wall side, but the incision by the rivers could keep
pace with the uplift and a deep valley was formed (Fig. 18b of
Goswami et al., 2013). They also agree with these conclusions.
We infer that after the cessation of tectonism the river
resumed the aggradational phase during which the valley was
widened and new sediments were deposited unconformably
over the older T4 sediments to build up a new aggradational
surface (T3) at a lower height than the uplifted T4 (Fig. 18c,
Goswami et al., 2013). A renewed movement on the thrust
uplifted the T3 surface through which the river incised and T3
surface was left as a raised terrace on the valley wall (Fig. 18d,
op. cit.). A similar process on the blind Chalsa thrust produced
the T2 terrace. This is a simplified model and many strati-
graphic (litho/bio/chrono) details have to be worked out
through further study. For example, we do not know the
* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: chandreyee.chakraborty@gmail.com (C.C. Goswami).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2014.01.042
1040-6182/Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.
precise thickness of the T3 sediments. A natural section near
the Chalsa scarp shows that the thickness of the T2 sediments
unconformably overlying the T4 sediments is of the order of a
few metres only (Figs. 11 and 12, Goswami et al., 2013). We
have also not discussed what was happening to the T4 surface
on the footwall side. Was there aggradation on this surface
during T3 sedimentation? Extensive anthropogenic activity
and pedogenesis pose difficulties in coming to a conclusion.
We are convinced that the effect of tectonism is clearly man-
ifested as two scarps running across the fan surface which is
also tilted and folded. Aggradational valley fill events depos-
ited the terrace sediments unconformably overlying the older
deformed fan sediments, and the terraces have reached the
present relative levels due to interplay of fluvial and tectonic
activity manifested in an episodic manner. Kar and Chakra-
borty state that we have “never tried to explain how the ter-
races....aggraded to their present height of 25e30 m above the
present day floodplain”, disregarding that the longitudinal
profiles of the present day river system, with which the extant
flood plains are calibrated, are necessarily different from the
profiles and the hydrology of the earlier rivers responsible for
episodic cutting and filling events which generated the terrace
system in totality.
a. Kar and Chakraborty have not presented any data on the
deformation of the terraces. However, we have observed that
both T3 and T2 terraces have been deformed. The T3 terrace
must have been originally southerly sloping as also recog-
nised by Kar and Chakraborty. It has been tilted to northerly
sloping (Fig. 1) or subhorizontal attitude by movement on the
Matiali thrust. Similarly the T2 surface which was presumably
southerly sloping is now tilted to a near horizontal attitude.
b. Kar and Chakraborty have questioned the existence of the T3
terrace. However, this terrace can be clearly seen along the
eastern bank of the rivers Neora, Juranti, Kurti (Fig. 2) and the
western bank of the river Murti. It can also be recognized on
the DEM (Fig. 3). We have also reported that there is a break
on the Matiali scarp at the level of the T3 terrace (Goswami
et al., 2013), suggesting evolution of the scarp in two stages,
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120 C.C. Goswami et al. / Quaternary International 338 (2014) 119e124

Fig. 1. Deformation of T3 terrace in the eastern bank of the Kurti river, looking from west.

pre-T3 and post-T3. We have not stated that T3 was horizon-
tally bedded, as stated by Kar and Chakraborty. We
mentioned that the T3 surface was more or less at the same
level as the T4 surface on the footwall side of the Matiali
scarp. However as already mentioned, in the absence of any
definite information on the nature of material on the top of
footwall T4 we are unable to conclude whether initially the T3
surface in the north smoothly merged with the T4 surface of
the south at the foot of the Matiali scarp or whether a thin
veneer of T3 sediments covered a part of the southern T4,
Hence we cannot choose between the two alternatives
mentioned by Kar and Chakraborty. Of course subsequent
thrust movement tilted the T3 of the north and elevated it to
its present height.
c. Existence of a lateral ramp does not mean that faulting ends
there. The updip movement on the frontal ramp leading to
the development of the ramp anticline gives way to
horizontal tear on the lateral ramp. There would be a scarp at
the lateral ramp delimiting the ramp anticline (Ramsay and
Huber, 1987); its height decreases away from the frontal
scarp as seen in this area (Fig. 4). Beyond the lateral ramp the
surface smoothly continues from the hanging wall to the
footwall side without any break as mentioned in our paper. A
lateral ramp generally links two segments of frontal ramp.
The Matiali scarp may be linked with the Thaljhora scarp east
of the Jaldhaka River. This of course has to be confirmed by
careful mapping of the intervening region. In the absence of
the outcrop of a frontal ramp scarp east of the lateral ramp
the formation of T3 terrace on the western bank of Murti
presents a problem. We may mention here that this terrace is
at a lower height than the T3 terraces on the banks of Neora,
Juranti and Kurti. Other terraces of lower heights are also
present on the banks of Murti (Fig. 5), not all of which can be
shown on a map of the given scale. Further work is needed in

Fig. 2. Break in the Matiali scarp in the same height of T3.

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C.C. Goswami et al. / Quaternary International 338 (2014) 119e124

Fig. 3. Presence of T3 terrace in western bank of the Neora river as well as the eastern bank of Juranti river shown on DEM prepared from Cartosat 1.

121
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122 C.C. Goswami et al. / Quaternary International 338 (2014) 119e124

Fig. 4. Small NeS scarp within the T4 surface at the eastern extent of the Matiali scarp.

this part to elucidate the terrace geometry on the banks of
Murti and their genetic interpretation.
d. The T1 surface is a couple of metres above the present flood
plain. The negligible upliftment of the T1 terrace compared to
other terraces can be correlated with its very young age. We
only tentatively attempted to relate it with the last move-
ment recorded by Kumar et al. (2011).
2. Kar and Chakraborty have misunderstood our interpretation of
the feature shown in Fig. 10 of our paper. We did not state that
the black line in the figure represents a single erosional channel.
It simply demarcates the older T4 sediments from the younger
sediments of different ages. Here is how we visualize the evo-
lution of the structure (Fig. 6aef). At first the T4 fan surface was
built by the river process (Fig. 6a). An early phase of incision

Fig. 5. Detailed Geomorphological map of the northern part of the study area.
 Author's personal copy
C.C. Goswami et al. / Quaternary International 338 (2014) 119e124
(caused by tectonic uplift according to our model) cut a channel
within the T4 sediments (Fig. 6b). Subsequent aggradation built
up the T3 sediment package above the erosion surface (Fig. 6c).
The horizontal segment of the black line below T2 in Fig. 10 is a
part of this erosion surface. A second phase of incision cut
through the T2 surface and the old erosion surface to produce a
new channel (Fig. 6d). Aggradation led to deposition of T1 on
this new erosion surface (Fig. 6e). The sloping segment and the
horizontal segment below T1 in Fig. 10 together represent this
new erosion surface. A still later incision brought the river to its
present day level and T1 and T2 are left as raised terraces (Fig. 6f).
3. Our map is different in some of the details from the previous
maps, because it is based on our own observations, incorpo-
rating the rectifications of what appeared to us to be as some
inaccuracies of the previous maps. However, it does not differ in
broad outline from the maps of Nakata (1989) and Guha et al.
(2007). Some changes in our older map were made on the ba-
sis of further detailed observations in the area. A revisit subse-
quent to the submission of the manuscript has led to some
further minor revisions (Fig. 5). Our map has been prepared on
the basis of a 10 m resolution DEM based on CARTOSAT-1 im-
ages, field work and spot height measurement at close spaced
points. Fine tuning of observations inevitably results in updated
cartographic representation of real situation.
Fig. 6. Development of cut and fill terraces as depicted in Fig. 10 of Goswami et al.,
2013.
123
The Samsing surface has a triangular outcrop and is separated
from the T4 surface by a 10 m scarp. This boundary is clearly
demarcated in our published map and in the current revised
version (Fig. 5). It is not as continuous as shown in the map of Kar
and Chakraborty (their Fig. 2). The 60 m scarp which they mention
is between the basement rocks (Daling phyllonite) along the Neora
river bed and the T3 surface. The Samsing surface is strewn with
highly angular boulders of different sizes. We agree with Nakata’s
(1989) interpretation that the Samsing surface represents a
younger debris flow which has covered up a part of the older fan
surface. The basement rocks and the T3 surface abut against the
Samsing surface, but because of thick vegetation and inaccessibility
the nature of the contact could not be studied.
We submit that the geomorphological map of Kar and Chak-
raborty does not depict the objective reality. Firstly, the Matiali
scarp does not extend up to the Murti river. Much before the
Murti river is reached it swings northeasterly to become a low
NeS scarp and finally disappears. East of this the T4 smoothly
continues as a southerly sloping surface without any break.
Moreover, there are a number of terraces along the valleys of the
Juranti, Kurti and Murti which are not depicted in their map. The
boundary of the Samsing surface cannot be drawn as such a long
continuous line.
4. The focus of our study was on the effects of deformation on an
alluvial fan in the frontal region of an active orogenic belt. We
have not carried out a detailed sedimentological study in the
area, and hence we did not like to make any definite statement
about the climatic imprints on the fluvial processes and their
relation to geomorphic development. We have noted some
changes in grain size and tried to ascribe them to climatically
controlled hydrologic discharge variations in an overall humid
regime. The criticism of Kar and Chakraborty about climatic
oscillations is misdirected.
5. We have not stated that the grain size has changed within a
distance of 0.5 km. We observed a polymictic conglomerate with
highly angular pebbles in the river bed north of the Matiali
scarp, and this continues up to 0.5 km south of the scarp. On the
other hand an association of black clay, ochre clay and reddish
yellow sandy clay is exposed on the river bed near the Chalsa
scarp about 3 km downstream.
6. Kar and Chakraborty have misunderstood what we have said
about the drainage pattern. The radial drainage pattern north of
the Matiali scarp is noted. We said that such pattern is charac-
teristic of a fan surface, but never stated that these drainages
deposited the Matiali fan. South of the Matiali scarp the radial
pattern disappears to become subparallel to parallel. We have
attributed this change to activity on transverse faults along the
Neora and Murti rivers.
Our objective was to study the effect of tectonism on an alluvial
fan and to construct a viable model for the evolution of the
observed geomorphic features in a limited area. We are aware that
climate does play an important role in fashioning fluvial geo-
morphology, but did not discuss the specifics of the role of climate
in this area, because we did not have necessary and sufficient in-
formation on sedimentation, stratigraphy, biotic record and chro-
nology to reconstruct climatic oscillations and their linkage with
geomorphic evolution of terrace system we happened to study in a
small area. From the experience we gained, albeit in a limited way,
we ventured to suggest with all humility that the piedmont zone of
active Himalayan orogen represents an exceedingly complex phe-
nomenon. An involved multidisciplinary integrated study is
required to arrive at an elegant model of its origin and continuing
evolution. We look forward to the publication of Kar and
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124 C.C. Goswami et al. / Quaternary International 338 (2014) 119e124
Chakraborty’s work in this region and be appraised of their analysis
of climatic control on geomorphic evolution of the area.
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