Recent tectonic activity of the Gafsa fault through morphometric analysis: Southern Atlas of Tunisia

The analysis of these morphometric indices reveals that two structures in the study area (Jebels Ben Younes and Bou Ramli) are distinguished by a specific morphometric footprint: high residual topography, high hypsometric integral value of some watersheds (HI > 0.6), high frequency of drainage anomalies, high maximum vertical curvature, and high roughness index. The correlation of these geomorphic indices with the structural pattern of the study area confirms the neotectonic reactivation (dating from the Quaternary) and the dextral strike-slip component of the Gafsa fault (the major tectonic feature in the southern Atlas of Tunisia). Thus, the morphometric analysis of the Digital Elevation Model and the drainage network provide a more accurate insight into the morphodynamics of the study area.