Leveraging Python for Comparative Hypsometric Analysis Using Different DEMs: Neotectonic Insights from the Man River Basin, Western Madhya Pradesh, India

ABSTRACT Neotectonics, the study of geological processes that shape the Earth’s crust, plays a significant role in influencing landscapes. An understanding of these processes is essential for interpreting a region’s topography and drainage patterns. In areas such as the Narmada rift zone, the occurrence of frequent earthquakes indicates geological instability. The Man River Basin, which serves as a tributary to the Narmada, is situated within this zone. This study employs hypsometric analysis, specifically through the use of Hypsometric Curves (HC) and Hypsometric Integrals (HI), to investigate the Man Valley and its sub-basins. Utilizing open-source spatial analysis libraries—including geopandas, matplotlib, numpy, rasterio, and shapely—in Python, we analyze Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) derived from SRTM, Cartosat, and Alos-Palsar datasets. The findings reveal HI values ranging from 0.23 to 0.75, which suggest varying degrees of basin stability. Notably, sub-basins located north of the Dhar Lineament exhibit higher HI values alongside convex HC curves, indicating tectonic instability. In contrast, the sub-basins to the south of the Dhar Lineament display lower HI values and concave curves, suggesting greater stability. These observations imply that the area near the Dhar Lineament is more tectonically active. The literature presents two methods for HI extraction; however, this study endorses the HI generated by HC (as per Strahler) while dismissing the alternative method (based on Pike’s mean elevation) due to its inaccurate results. This underscores the necessity of methodological rigor in hypsometric analysis.