Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences
Title : | Holocene land-sea interactions and palaeoenvironmental changes in the Great Rann of Kachchh basin, Western India |
Area of research : | Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. Niteshkumar Narendra Khonde, Birbal Sahni Institute Of Palaeosciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh |
Timeline Start Year : | 2023 |
Timeline End Year : | 2026 |
Contact info : | niteshearth@gmail.com |
Equipments : | "Desktop Computer
HP Laserjet all in one printer" |
Details
Executive Summary : | Scientific Rationale: The Great Rann of Kachchh (GRK) basin is one of the most important sedimentary archive on the western Indian continental margin that has evolved under the complex interplay of the climate-tectonic forces with relative sea level fluctuations through the Holocene. Until recently, there was no information available on the subsurface stratigraphy and palaeoenvirnmental conditions of GRK through Holocene times. First drill core records published from the GRK basin in 2013 revealed that huge sedimentation took place that accumulated enormous sediment pile of ~60 m in past ~10000 years till its drying in recent past. However due to the diverse tectonic regimes, neotectonic activity might have significantly influenced the sedimentation pattern in the GRK basin which needs to be studied in detail with the help of series of sediment core raising from different tectonic segments. The early Holocene period shows the marine transgressive phase in the central GRK basin however only one core record is available from this region. Secondly, there is no precise information available on the last regressive phase i.e. marine withdrawal from the GRK basin in recent times. This latest withdrawal of the marine waters from GRK has modified the land-sea distribution pattern to a large extent and shorelines have shifted from few tens of kilometres to couple of hundred kilometres (from the farthest points in eastern GRK). The proposed project is therefore focused to fill this gap on the reconstruction of the basin wide relative sea level changes and land-marine distribution changes and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions through past 10000 years till recent drying of the Great Rann of Kachchh (GRK) basin. In this proposed study, multiple new drill cores in transect will be utilised to reconstruct the land-sea distribution pattern and palaeoenvironmental changes through the Holocene. This is to be achieved through the geophysical surveys and guided by it; multiple drill cores raising in transect will be a significant step. Multi-proxy approach involving chronological studies, sedimentological, geochemical and isotopic studies along with micropalaeontological studies will be conducted to reconstruct the relative sea level changes and palaeoenvironmental conditions for the Holocene times. Sediment cores in transect will help delineating the lateral, basin wide changes and differential response of each tectonic segment on the sedimentation pattern, relative sea level fluctuations. As an outcome, a viable model of relative sea level changes and associated palaeoenvirnmental changes will be generated. This will shed light on the complex interplay active tectonics processes, sediment accumulation pattern with special emphasis on the relative sea level changes through the Holocene. |
Total Budget (INR): | 39,09,240 |
Organizations involved