This paper aims to unveit neotectonic imprints in topography, drainage and sediments in the 46.25 km tong course of the River Chet from its source down to its attuvial fan at the base of the Himatayan Mountain Front i...This paper aims to unveit neotectonic imprints in topography, drainage and sediments in the 46.25 km tong course of the River Chet from its source down to its attuvial fan at the base of the Himatayan Mountain Front in the Darjeeting-Jatpaiguri districts of India. A semi-circutar ridge detimits its primary catchment. Within confinement of this watershed basin the drainage pattern is composite being convergent atong the periphery and divergent on a butte inside. AtE these geomorphic neotectonic imprints are accom- panied by ramp and fiat structures and spectacutar mytonitization of rocks. High hypsometric index and convex shape of the hypsometric curve derived from the centrat near-straight course of the river between the primary catchment and the Main Frontat Thrust （MFT） atso reftects tectonic youthfutness of the river course. It is wett manifested atso in widety variabte stream index and stream gradient index ratios （SL/K） often exceeding 2. In response to neotectonism, this river course as a whore shifted westward between 1962 and 2007. Maximum reduction of the stream gradient on top of the MFT is etoquent enough about recent uptift of the thrust ridge. The high average stope gradient of canyon watt about 45.68° is wett consistent with this uptift. Very tow channet-width/vaUey-height ratio along the river further corroborates the uptift. The attuviat fan system of the River Chet is comprised of five morphogenetic fans stacked one above another with a tendency to shrink and shift progressively upstope. They differ from each other in terms of titt, axiat orientation, primary depositionat surface gradient and convexity in transverse section and thus present a writ of ongoing tectonism. Progressive upward increase in the share of distat crystattine rocks in ctast composition within attuviat fan package is a dear proxy for southerty advancement of the MFT. Concomitant increase in maximum ctast size is in good agreement with sediment source uptift. Art the five fans are, however, dormant now. Present-day River Chet deeply incises through ate of them and suggests further basement uplift in the context of frequent evidences of neotectonism att around, atthough the rote of climate remains uncertain in absence of adequate data.展开更多
Usually considered a morphologically conservative group, didelphid marsupials present consider- able variation in ecology and body size, some of which were shown to relate to morphological structures. Thus, changes on...Usually considered a morphologically conservative group, didelphid marsupials present consider- able variation in ecology and body size, some of which were shown to relate to morphological structures. Thus, changes on orbit morphology are likely and could be related to that variation. We calculated orbit orientation in 873 specimens of 16 Didelphidae genera yielding estimates of orbits convergence （their position relative to midsagittal line） and verticality （their position relative to frontal plane）. We then compared similarities in these variables across taxa to ecological, morpho- logical and phylogenetic data to evaluate the influencing factors on orbit orientation in didelphids. We found an inverse relation between convergence and verticality. Didelphids orbits have low ver- ticality but are highly convergent, yet orbit orientation differs significantly between taxa, and that variation is related to morphological aspects of the cranium. Rostral variables are the only morpho- logical features correlated with orbit orientation： increasing snout length yields more convergent orbits, whereas increase on snout breadth imply in more vertical orbits. Size and encephalization quotients are uncorrelated with orbit orientation. Among ecological data, diet showed significant correlation whereas locomotion is the factor that less affects the position of orbits. Phylogeny is uncorrelated to any orbital parameters measured. Ecological factors seemingly play a more import- ant role on orbit orientation than previously expected, and differentiation on orbit orientation seems to be more functional than inherited. Thus, despite the apparent homogeneity on didelphid morphology, there is subtle morphological variability that may be directly related to feeding behavior.展开更多
基金UGC,Minor Research Project,Govt. Of India(F.PSW-032/08-09_ERO) for financial supportfinancial help from DST(ESS/16/243/2006-EMR-ll)
文摘This paper aims to unveit neotectonic imprints in topography, drainage and sediments in the 46.25 km tong course of the River Chet from its source down to its attuvial fan at the base of the Himatayan Mountain Front in the Darjeeting-Jatpaiguri districts of India. A semi-circutar ridge detimits its primary catchment. Within confinement of this watershed basin the drainage pattern is composite being convergent atong the periphery and divergent on a butte inside. AtE these geomorphic neotectonic imprints are accom- panied by ramp and fiat structures and spectacutar mytonitization of rocks. High hypsometric index and convex shape of the hypsometric curve derived from the centrat near-straight course of the river between the primary catchment and the Main Frontat Thrust （MFT） atso reftects tectonic youthfutness of the river course. It is wett manifested atso in widety variabte stream index and stream gradient index ratios （SL/K） often exceeding 2. In response to neotectonism, this river course as a whore shifted westward between 1962 and 2007. Maximum reduction of the stream gradient on top of the MFT is etoquent enough about recent uptift of the thrust ridge. The high average stope gradient of canyon watt about 45.68° is wett consistent with this uptift. Very tow channet-width/vaUey-height ratio along the river further corroborates the uptift. The attuviat fan system of the River Chet is comprised of five morphogenetic fans stacked one above another with a tendency to shrink and shift progressively upstope. They differ from each other in terms of titt, axiat orientation, primary depositionat surface gradient and convexity in transverse section and thus present a writ of ongoing tectonism. Progressive upward increase in the share of distat crystattine rocks in ctast composition within attuviat fan package is a dear proxy for southerty advancement of the MFT. Concomitant increase in maximum ctast size is in good agreement with sediment source uptift. Art the five fans are, however, dormant now. Present-day River Chet deeply incises through ate of them and suggests further basement uplift in the context of frequent evidences of neotectonism att around, atthough the rote of climate remains uncertain in absence of adequate data.
文摘Usually considered a morphologically conservative group, didelphid marsupials present consider- able variation in ecology and body size, some of which were shown to relate to morphological structures. Thus, changes on orbit morphology are likely and could be related to that variation. We calculated orbit orientation in 873 specimens of 16 Didelphidae genera yielding estimates of orbits convergence （their position relative to midsagittal line） and verticality （their position relative to frontal plane）. We then compared similarities in these variables across taxa to ecological, morpho- logical and phylogenetic data to evaluate the influencing factors on orbit orientation in didelphids. We found an inverse relation between convergence and verticality. Didelphids orbits have low ver- ticality but are highly convergent, yet orbit orientation differs significantly between taxa, and that variation is related to morphological aspects of the cranium. Rostral variables are the only morpho- logical features correlated with orbit orientation： increasing snout length yields more convergent orbits, whereas increase on snout breadth imply in more vertical orbits. Size and encephalization quotients are uncorrelated with orbit orientation. Among ecological data, diet showed significant correlation whereas locomotion is the factor that less affects the position of orbits. Phylogeny is uncorrelated to any orbital parameters measured. Ecological factors seemingly play a more import- ant role on orbit orientation than previously expected, and differentiation on orbit orientation seems to be more functional than inherited. Thus, despite the apparent homogeneity on didelphid morphology, there is subtle morphological variability that may be directly related to feeding behavior.
