Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-18T16:35:27.988Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Luminescence dating of fluvial and coastal red sediments in the SE Coast, India, and implications for paleoenvironmental changes and dune reddening

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

R. Jayangondaperumal ,
M.K. Murari ,
P. Sivasubramanian ,
N. Chandrasekar  and
A.K. Singhvi
R. Jayangondaperumal*
Affiliation:
Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, India
M.K. Murari
Affiliation:
Physical Research Laboratory, EPSD, OSL lab, Ahmadabad, India
P. Sivasubramanian
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, VOC College , Tuticorin, India
N. Chandrasekar
Affiliation:
Centre for Geo Technology, M.S. University, Tamil Nadu, India
A.K. Singhvi
Affiliation:
Physical Research Laboratory, EPSD, OSL lab, Ahmadabad, India
*
*Corresponding author at: #33 GMS Road, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, India. E-mail address:[email protected] (R. Jayangondaperumal).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The Holocene and late Pleistocene environmental history of the teri ('sandy waste' in local parlance) red sands in the southeast coastal Tamil Nadu was examined using remote sensing, stratigraphy, and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. Geomorphological surveys enabled the classification of the teri red sands as, 1) inland fluvial teri, 2) coastal teri and 3) near-coastal teri dunes. The inland teri sediments have higher clay and silty-sand component than the coastal and near-coastal teri, suggesting that these sediments were deposited by the fluvial process during a stronger winter monsoon around ≫ 15 ka. The coastal teri dunes were deposited prior to 11.4 ± 0.9 ka, and the near-coastal dunes aggraded at around 5.6 ± 0.4 ka. We; interpret that the coastal dunes were formed during a period of lower relative sea level and the near-coastal dunes formed during a period of higher sea level. Dune reddening is post deposition occurred after 11.4 ± 0.9 ka for the coastal teri dunes and after 5.6 ± 0.4 ka for the near-coastal teri dunes. Presence of microlithic sites associated with the coastal dunes suggest that the cultures existed in the region during 11.4 ± 0.9 ka and 5.6 ± 0.4 ka.

Keywords

Teri red sand dunesSea levelCoastal dunesWinter monsoonReddeningMicrolithic industryEnvironmental changes
Type
Original Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 77 , Issue 3 , May 2012 , pp. 468 - 481
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

1 Presently at Department of Geosciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, USA.

References

Aitken, M.J., (1985). Thermoluminescence Dating. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Aitken, M.J., (1998). An Introduction to Optical Dating. Oxford University Press, Oxford.Google Scholar
Banerjee, P.K., (2000). Holocene and Late Pleistocene relative sea level fluctuations along the east coast of India. Marine Geology. 167, 243–260.Google Scholar
Brückner, H., (1988). Indicators for formerly high sea levels along the east coast of India and on the Andaman Islands. Hamburger Geographische Studien. 44, 47–72.Google Scholar
Brückner, H., (1989). Late Quaternary Shorelines of India. Scott, D.B., Late Quaternary Sea Level Correlation and Applications, Kluwer Academic, New York, 169–194.Google Scholar
Camoin, G.F., Montaggioni, L.F., Braithwaite, C.J.R., (2004). Late glacial to post glacial sea levels in the Western Indian Ocean. Marine Geology. 206, 1–4 119–146.Google Scholar
Carr, S.J., Holmes, R., van der Meer, J.J.M., Rose, J., (2006). The Last Glacial Maximum in the North Sea Basin: micromorphological evidence of extensive glaciation. Journal of Quaternary Science 21, 131–153.Google Scholar
Carter, R.W.G., (1991). Near-future sea level impacts on coastal dune landscapes. Landscape Ecology. 6, 1/2 29–39.Google Scholar
Chandel, A.D., Patel, H.R., Vaghela, G.P., (2006). Usable, an effective and reusable sampling pipe for luminescence dating. Ancient TL. 24, 1 21–22.Google Scholar
Chandrasekharan, S., Murugan, C., (2001). Heavy minerals in the beach and the coastal red sands (Teris) of Tamilnadu Spl issues on ‘Beach and Inland Heavy Mineral sand Deposits of India’. Exploration and Research for Atomic Minerals. 13, 87–109.Google Scholar
Chase, B.M., Thomas, D.S.G., (2007). Multiphase late Quaternary aeolian sediment accumulation in western South Africa: timing and relationship to paleoclimatic changes inferred from the marine record. Quaternary International. 166, 29–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clarkson, C., Petraglia, M., Korisettar, R., Haslam, M., Boivin, N., Crowther, A., Ditchfield, P., Fuller, D., Miracle, P., Harris, C., Connell, K., James, H., Koshy, J., (2009). The oldest and longest enduring microlithic sequence in India: 35000 years of modern human occupation and change at the Jwalapuram Locality 9 rock shelter. Antiquity. 83, 326–348.Google Scholar
Dhar, O.N., Rakhecha, P.R., Kulkarni, K., (1982). Fluctuations in northeast monsoon rainfall of Tamil Nadu. Journal of Climatology. 2, 339–345.Google Scholar
Duplessy, J.C., (1982). Glacial to interglacial contrasts in the northern Indian Ocean. Nature. 295, 494–498.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fitzsimmons, K.E., Rhodes, E.J., Magee, J.W., Barrows, T.T., (2007). The timing of linear dune activity in the Strzelecki and Tirari Deserts, Australia. Quaternary Science Reviews. 26, 2598–2616.Google Scholar
Foote, R.B., (1883). On the geology of Madura and Tinnevelly Districts. Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India. 20, 1–103.Google Scholar
Gardner, R.A.M., (1981a). Geomorphology and Quaternary Environmental Change in Southeast India and Sri Lanka. Oxford University.Google Scholar
Gardner, R.A.M., (1981b). Reddening of dune sands — evidence from southeast India. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. 6, 5 459–468.Google Scholar
Gardner, R.A.M., (1986). Quaternary coastal sediments and stratigraphy Southeast India. Man and Environment. X, 51–72.Google Scholar
Gardner, R.A.M., Martingell, H., (1990). Microlithic sites and their paleoenvironmental setting, Southeast India: a reevaluation. Geoarchaeology. 5, 1 1–13.Google Scholar
Giannini, P.C.F., Sawakuchi, A.O., Martinho, C.T., Tatumi, S.H., (2007). Eolian depositional episodes controlled by Late Quaternary relative sea level changes on the Imbituba–Laguna coast (southern Brazil). Marine Geology. 237, 143–168.Google Scholar
Glennie, K.W., Singhvi, A., (2002). Event stratigraphy, paleoenvironment and chronology of SE Arabian deserts. Quaternary Science Reviews. 21, 853–869.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grün, R., (1991). Age Calculation Program for Riso Laboratories.Google Scholar
Hashmi, N.H., Nigam, R., Nair, R.R., Rajagopalan, G., (1995). Holocene sea level fluctuations on western Indian continental margin: an update. Journal of Geological Society of India. 46, 157–162.Google Scholar
Holmes, P.J., Bateman, M.D., Thomas, D.S.G., Telfer, M.W., Barker, C.H., Lawson, M.P., (2008). A Holocene–late Pleistocene aeolian record from lunette dunes of the western Free State pan field, South Africa. The Holocene. 18, 1193–1205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Joseph, S., Thrivikramaji, K.P., Anirudhan, S., (1997). Textural parameters, discriminant analysis and depositional environments of the Teri sands, southern Tamil Nadu. Journal of the Geological Society of India. 50, 3 323–329.Google Scholar
Joseph, S., Thrivikramaji, K.P., Anirudhan, S., (1998). Mineral assemblages and detrital modes, teris of Southern Tamil Nadu: implications to the origin of quart arenites. Journal Indian Association of Sedimentologists. 17, 1 87–101.Google Scholar
Joseph, S., Thrivikramaji, K.P., Anirudhan, S., (1999). Mud content, clay minerals and oxidation state on iron in teris of Southern Tamil Nadu: implications on the origin of redness. Journal Indian Association of Sedimentologists. 18, 1 83–94.Google Scholar
Joseph, S., Thrivikramaji, K.P., Suresh Babu, D.S., (2002). State of alteration of ilmenite in teris, Southern Tamil Nadu. Journal Geological Society of India. 60, 537–546.Google Scholar
Juyal, N., Kar, A., Rajaguru, S.N., Singhvi, A.K., (2003). Luminescence chronology of aeolian deposition during the Late Quaternary on the southern margin of Thar Desert, India. Quaternary International. 104, 87–98.Google Scholar
Kale, V.S., Rajaguru, S.N., (1985). Neogene and Quaternary transgressional and regressional history of the west coast of India: an overview. Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute. 44, 153–165.Google Scholar
Kale, V.S., Gupta, A., Singhvi, A.K., (2004). Late Pleistocene–Holocene paleohydrology of monsoon Asia. Journal of the Geological Society of India. 64, 403–417.Google Scholar
Katupotha, J., Fujiwara, K., (1988). Holocene sea level change on the southwest and south coasts of Sri Lanka. Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology. 68, 2–4 189–203.Google Scholar
Kocurek, G., (1998). Aeolian system response to external forcing — a sequence stratigraphic approach. Alsharhan, A.S., Glennie, K.W., Whittle, G.L., Kendall, G.G.St.C., Quaternary Deserts and Climatic Change, Balkema, Rotterdam, 327–338.Google Scholar
Kunz, A., Frechen, M., Ramesh, R., Urban, B., (2010). Luminescence dating of late Holocene dunes showing remnants of early settlement in Cuddalore and evidence of monsoon activity in south east India. Quaternary International. 222, 194–208.Google Scholar
Lancaster, N., (2008). Desert dune dynamics and development: insights from luminescence dating. Boreas. 37, 559–573.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lancaster, N., Kocurek, G., Singhvi, A.K., Pandey, V., Deynoux, M., Ghienne, J.-F., Khalidou, L., (2002). Late Pleistocene and Holocene dune activity and wind regimes in the western Sahara of Mauritania. Geology. 30, 11 991–994.Google Scholar
Lees, B., (2006). Timing and formation of coastal dunes in northern and eastern Australia. Journal of Coastal Research. 22, 1 78–89.Google Scholar
Liu, K.-B., Yao, Z., Thompson, L.G., (1998). A pollen record of Holocene climatic changes from the Dunde ice cap, Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. Geology. 26, 135–138.Google Scholar
Lomax, J., Hilgers, A., Wopfner, H., Grun, R., Twidale, C.R., Radtke, U., (2003). The onset of dune formation in the Strzelecki Desert, South Australia. Quaternary Science Reviews. 22, 1067–1076.Google Scholar
Loveson, V.J., Rajamanickam, G.V., (2001). Evidence of quaternary sea level changes and shoreline displacement on the south eastern Coromandal coast of India. Rajamnickam, G.V., Tooley, M.J., International Seminar on Quaternary Sea Level Variation, Shoreline Displacement and Coastal Environment, 85–93.Google Scholar
Lückge, A., Doose-Rlinski, H., Khan, A.A., Schulz, H., von Rad, U., (2001). Monsoonal variability in the northeastern Arabian Sea during the past 5000 years: geochemical evidence from laminated sediments. Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology. 167, 273–286.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Menon, K.K., (1959). General features of Teris of South Travancore. Indian Geographical Journal. 25, 1–9.Google Scholar
Murali, V., Sarma, V.A.K., Krishnamurti, G.S.R., (1974). Mineralogy of two red profiles (Altisols) of Mysore state. India, Geoderma. 11, 147–155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray-Wallace, C.V., Banerjee, D., Bourman, R.P., Olley, J.M., Brooke, B.P., (2002). Optically stimulated luminescence dating of Holocene relict foredunes, Guichen Bay, South Australia. Quaternary Science Reviews. 21, 1077–1086.Google Scholar
Overpeck, J., Anderson, D., Trumbore, S., Prell, W., (1996). The southwest Indian monsoon over the last 18,000 years. Climate Dynamics. 12, 213–225.Google Scholar
Porat, N., (2006). Use of magnetic separation for purifying quartz for luminescence dating. Ancient TL. 24, 2 33–36.Google Scholar
Prasad, S., Enzel, Y., (2006). Holocene paleoclimates of India. Quaternary Research. 66, 442–453.Google Scholar
Prell, W.L., Hutson, W.H., Williams, D.F., Bé, A.W.H., Geitzenauer, Kurt, Molfino, B., (1980). Surface circulation of the Indian Ocean during the Last Glacial Maximum, approximately 18,000 yr BP. Quaternary Research. 14, 309–336.Google Scholar
Prescott, J.R., Hutton, J.T., (1994). Cosmic ray contributions to dose rates for luminescence and ESR dating: large depths and long-term time variations. Radiation Measurements. 23, 2–3 497–500.Google Scholar
Pye, K., (1981). Rate of dune reddening in a humid tropical climate. Nature. 290, 582–584.Google Scholar
Pye, K., (1984). Models of transgressive coastal dune building episodes and their relationship to Quaternary sea level changes. Clark, M., A Discussion with Reference from Eastern Australia, Coastal Research: U.K. Perspectives Geobooks, Norwich, 81–104.Google Scholar
Rajagopalan, G., Sukumar, R., Ramesh, R., Pant, R.K., Rajagopalan, G., (1997). Late Quaternary vegetational and climatic changes from tropical peats in southern India-An extended record up to 40,000 years BP. Current Science. 73, 1 60–63.Google Scholar
Raymond, P.E., (1927). The significance of red color in sediments. American Journal of Science. 3, 234–251.Google Scholar
Reimer, P.J., Baillie, M.G.L., Bard, E., Bayliss, A., Beck, J.W., Bertrand, C.J.H., Blackwell, P.G., Buck, C.E., Burr, G.S., Cutler, K.B., Damon, P.E., Edwards, R.L., Fairbanks, R.G., Friedrich, M., Guilderson, T.P., Hogg, A.G., Hughen, K.A., Kromer, B., McCormac, G., Manning, S., Ramsey, C.B., Reimer, R.W., Remmele, S., Southon, J.R., Stuiver, M., Talamo, S., Taylor, F.W., van der Plicht, J., Weyhenmeyer, C.E., (2004). IntCal04 terrestrial radiocarbon age calibration, 0–26 cal kyr BP. Radiocarbon. 46, 3 1029–1058.Google Scholar
Reimer, P.J., Baillie, M.G.L., Bard, E., Bayliss, A., Beck, J.W., Blackwell, P.G., Bronk Ramsey, C., Buck, C.E., Burr, G.S., Edwards, R.L., Friedrich, M., Grootes, P.M., Guilderson, T.P., Hajdas, I., Heaton, T.J., Hogg, A.G., Hughen, K.A., Kaiser, K.F., Kromer, B., McCormac, F.G., Manning, S.W., Reimer, R.W., Richards, D.A., Southon, J.R., Talamo, S., Turney, C.S.M., van der Plicht, J., Weyhenmeyer, C.E., (2009). IntCal09 and Marine09 radiocarbon age calibration curves, 0–50,000 years cal BP. Radiocarbon. 51, 4 1111–1150.Google Scholar
Sarkar, A., Ramesh, R., Bhattacharya, S.K., Rajagopalan, G., (1990). Oxygen isotope evidence for a stronger winter monsoon current during the last glaciation. Nature. 343, 549–552.Google Scholar
Sarnthein, M., (1978). Sand deserts during glacial maximum and climatic optimum. Nature. 272, 43–46.Google Scholar
Singhvi, A.K., Kar, A., (2004). The aeolian sedimentation record of the Thar Desert. Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Science. 113, 371–401.Google Scholar
Singhvi, A.K., Porat, N., (2008). Impact of luminescence dating on geomorphological and paleoclimatic research in drylands. Boreas. 37, 536–558.Google Scholar
Singhvi, A.K., Deraniyagala, S.U., Sengupta, D., (1986). Thermoluminescence dating of Quaternary red-sand beds: a case study of coastal dunes in Sri Lanka. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 80, 1–2 139–144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singhvi, A.K., Banerjee, D., Rajaguru, S.N., Kishan Kumar, V.S., (1994). Luminescence chronology of a fossil dune at Budha Pushkar, Thar Desert: Paleoenvironmental and archaeological implications. Current Science. 66, 770–773.Google Scholar
Singhvi, A.K., Williams, M.A.J., Rajaguru, S.N., Misra, V.N., Chawla, S., Stokes, S., Chauhan, N., Francis, T., Ganjoo, R.K., Humphreys, G.S., (2010a). A 200 ka record of climatic change and dune activity in the Thar Desert, India. Quaternary Science Reviews. 29, 3095–3105..Google Scholar
Singhvi, A.K., Chauhan, N., Biswas, R.H., (2010b). A survey of some new approaches in extending the maximum age limit and accuracy of luminescence application to archeological chronometry. Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry. 10, 4 9–15.Google Scholar
Singhvi, A.K., Stokes, S.C., Chauhan, Naveen, Nagar, Y.C., Jaiswal, M.K., (2010c). Changes in natural OSL sensitivity during single aliquot regeneration procedure and their implications for equivalent dose determination. Geochronometria. 38, 3 231–241.Google Scholar
Sontakke, N.A., Singh, Nityanand, Singh, H.N., (2008). Instrumental period rainfall Series of the Indian region (AD 1813–2005): revised reconstruction, update and analysis. The Holocene. 18, 7 10,55–10,66.Google Scholar
Thomas, P.J., (2009). Luminescence dating of beachrock in the Southeast Coast of India—potential for Holocene shoreline reconstruction. Journal of Coastal Research. 251, 1–7 .Google Scholar
Thomas, D.S.G., Leason, H.C., (2005). Dune field activity response to climate variability in the southwest Kalahari. Geomorphology. 64, 117–132.Google Scholar
Thomas, J.V., Kar, A., Kailath, A.J., Juyal, N., Rajaguru, S.N., Singhvi, A.K., (1999). Late Pleistocene–Holocene history of aeolian accumulation in the Thar Desert, India. Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie Supplementband. 116, 181–194.Google Scholar
Thomas, P.J., Juyal, N., Kale, V., Singhvi, A.K., (2007). Luminescence chronology of late Holocene extreme hydrological events in the upper Penner River basin, South India. Journal of Quaternary Science. 22, 747–753.Google Scholar
Thompson, L.G., Yao, T., Mosley-Thompson, E., Davis, M.E., Henderson, K.A., Lin, P.N., (2000). A high-resolution millennial record of the south Asian Monsoon from Himalayan ice cores. Science. 289, 1916–1919.Google Scholar
Thrivikramaji, K.P., Joseph, S., Anirudhan, S., (2008). Teris of Southern Tamil Nadu: a saga of Holocene climate change. Memoir Geological Society of India. 74, 351–359.Google Scholar
Tiwari, M., Ramesh, R., Somayajulu, B.L.K., Jull, A.J.T., Burr, G.S., (2005). Early deglacial (~ 19–17 ka) strengthening of the Northeast monsoon. Geophysical Research Letters. 32, 19712 .CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tiwari, M., Ramesh, R., Somayajulu, B.L.K., Jull, A.J.T., Burr, G.S., (2006). Paleomonsoon precipitation deduced from a sediment core from the equatorial Indian Ocean. Geo-Marine Letters. 26, 23–30..Google Scholar
Twidale, C.R., Bourne, J.A., Spooner, N.A., Rhodes, E.J., (2007). The age of the paleodune field of the northern Murray Basin in South Australia: preliminary results. Quaternary International. 166, 42–48.Google Scholar
Van Campo, E., Duplessy, J.C., Rossignol-Strick, M., (1982). Climatic conditions deduced from a 150-kyr oxygen isotope-pollen record from the Arabian Sea. Nature. 296, 56–59.Google Scholar
Van Houten, F.B., (1973). Origin of red beds. A review — 1961–1972. Annual Review Earth Planetary Science. 1, 39–61.Google Scholar
Vaz, G.G., Mohapatra, G.P., Hariprasad, M., (1998). Origin and paleoenvironmental aspects of red sediments from Bavanapadu–Ichchapuram, Andhra Pradesh. Journal of the Geological Society of India. 52, 4 463–471.Google Scholar
Walker, T., (1967a). Color of the recent sediments in tropical Mexico: a contribution to the origin of red beds. Geological Society of America Bulletin. 78, 917–920.Google Scholar
Walker, T., (1967b). Formation of Red beds in modern and ancient deserts. Geological Society of America Bulletin. 78, 353–368.Google Scholar
Wintle, A.G., Murray, A.S., (2006). A review of quartz optically stimulated luminescence characteristics and their relevance in single-aliquot regeneration dating protocols. Radiation Measurements. 41, 4 369–391.Google Scholar
Zeuner, F.E., Allchin, B., (1956). The microlithic sites of Tinevelly District, Madras State. Ancient India. 12, 4–20.Google Scholar