Evaluation of basin morphometric indices and tectonic implications in sedimentary landscape, Central India: A remote sensing and GIS approach

The present study was aimed to investigate the morphometric indices and tectonic implications in sedimentary landscape of Wardha River sub-basin, Central India. Geologically, the study area is predominantly constituted with Vindhyan and Lower Gondwana sedimentary formations. In the study, IRS-1D, LISS-III satellite data and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques were used to compute morphotectonic indices viz ., channel sinuosity (S), drainage basin asymmetry factor (AF), transverse topographic symmetry factor (T), basin elongation ratio (Re), drainage basin shape (Bs) and mountain front sinuosity (Smf) to determine the tectonic activity of the study area. The terrain parameters such as aspect, slope and relative relief, river longitudinal profile and topographic profile of the basin were also computed by using Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of 30 m spatial resolution. The computed S index for 69 meandering locations ranges from 1.03 to1.97, and it indicates the foremost courser of the river sinuous to meandering. The Re value ranges between 0.47 and 0.74, and it suggests the active to slight tectonic implications in the study area. The Smf values range from 1.14 to 4.69, and it indicates that the study area had slight to active tectonic implication. The T values range from 0.06 to 0.94, and it also indicates the tectonic activity. The present investigation clearly demonstrates the potential of remote sensing and GIS-based approach in evaluation of morphotectonic indices, which reveals the implications of tectonic activity in sedimentary landscape of Wardha River sub-basin, Central India.