The central Nepalese Himalaya are characterized by a sharp transition in physiography that does not correlate with previously mapped faults. Rates of rock uplift, erosion, and exhumation for rocks surrounding this physiographic transition are investigated using digital topographic data, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar thermochronology, cosmogenic radionuclides, and thermal modeling, to determine whether this break in landscape morphology reflects active tectonic displacements at the foot of the Himalaya. The goals of the thesis are 1) to understand the degree to which landscape morphology can be used to delineate breaks in rock uplift in active orogens; 2) to characterize the neotectonics of central Nepal using data representing varied temporal and spatial scales of inquiry; and 3) to move closer to understanding the dynamic interactions among climate, erosion and tectonics in a field setting. Analysis of digital topographic data from Nepal and other tectonically active settings demonstrates how breaks in the simple scaling characterizing river systems can be used to identify tectonic boundaries.
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