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Causes and implications of Mid- to Late Holocene relative sea-level change in the Gulf of Kachchh, western India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 November 2020

Shubhra Sharma Open the ORCID record for Shubhra Sharma [Opens in a new window] ,
Gaurav Chauhan ,
Anil Dutt Shukla ,
Romi Nambiar ,
Ravi Bhushan ,
Bhawanisingh G. Desai ,
Shilpa Pandey ,
Madhavi Dabhi ,
Subhash Bhandari  and
Suraj Bhosale
...Show all authors
Shubhra Sharma*
Affiliation:
Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad-380009, India
Gaurav Chauhan
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Environmental Science, The K.S.K.V. Kachchh University, Bhuj-370001, India
Anil Dutt Shukla
Affiliation:
Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad-380009, India
Romi Nambiar
Affiliation:
Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad-380009, India
Ravi Bhushan
Affiliation:
Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad-380009, India
Bhawanisingh G. Desai
Affiliation:
Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Raisan Village, Gandhinagar-382009, India
Shilpa Pandey
Affiliation:
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeoscience, Lucknow-226007, India
Madhavi Dabhi
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Environmental Science, The K.S.K.V. Kachchh University, Bhuj-370001, India
Subhash Bhandari
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Environmental Science, The K.S.K.V. Kachchh University, Bhuj-370001, India
Suraj Bhosale
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Environmental Science, The K.S.K.V. Kachchh University, Bhuj-370001, India
Abhishek Lakhote
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Environmental Science, The K.S.K.V. Kachchh University, Bhuj-370001, India
Navin Juyal
Affiliation:
Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad-380009, India
*
*Corresponding author at: Department of Geography, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India-221005. E-mail address: [email protected]; [email protected] (S. Sharma).
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Abstract

The relict intertidal deposits from the Kharod River Estuary, Gulf of Kachchh, and the distal end of Kori Creek are used to infer the Mid- to Late Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) change in western India. Employing sedimentology, geochemistry, palynology, ichnology, and optical and radiocarbon dating, the study suggests the dominance of fluvial activity between 16.5 ± 1.6 and 9.9 ± 0.7 ka. After ~7 ka (7.3 ± 0.4, 6.8 ± 0.5 ka), the sea level showed a positive tendency until 4.7 ± 0.2 ka. The tectonically corrected Mid-Holocene RSL change is estimated as 1.45 ± 0.33 m between ~7 and ~5 ka. The study suggests that the Mid-Holocene RSL high was due to the meltwater contribution from the Himalayan cryosphere, with subordinate contribution from glacio-isostatic adjustment and crustal subsidence. The Late Holocene tectonically corrected RSL change at ~1 ka (1.1 ± 0.1 ka and 1045 ± 175 cal yr BP) is estimated as 0.53 ± 0.43 m. This is ascribed to monsoon wind-driven tidal ingression that might have affected the tidal amplitude positively. The study suggests that the Mid-Holocene RSL change did not play a deterministic role in the abandonment of the Harappan coastal settlements.

Keywords

Relative sea-level changeIntertidal depositsGulf of KachchhMid- to Late HoloceneIndian Summer Monsoon
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 100 , March 2021 , pp. 98 - 121
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Copyright © University of Washington. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2020

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Footnotes

1

Current Address: Department of Geography, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India-221005

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