Environmental Impact on Coastal Wetlands since 4 Ka in Cauvery Delta: Palynology and Thecamoebian Study

Authors

  • Jyoti Srivastava
     Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53 University Road, Lucknow - 226 007
  • Anjum Farooqui
     Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53 University Road, Lucknow - 226 007

Keywords:

Palynology, Thecamoebians, Uppanar River, Cauvery Delta, Climate.

Abstract

Palaeoclimate and Palaeoecological study was carried out in ∼2 m sediment core deposited since 4 ka in an estuarine environment along Uppanar River mouth, Cauvery Delta. Palynological and thecamoebian evidences indicate (1) a basal fluvial lacustrine depositional environment (∼4-3 ka) characterized by sandy sediment, with low salinity and dominance of non-pollen forms like foraminiferal linings and thecamoebians with a low percentage of pollen and spores and (2) an estuarine environment (since 3 ka) characterized by clayey sediment with high salinity and a good percentage of mangrove and terrestrial pollen along with non-pollen forms. A shift in the depositional environment since ∼3 ka indicates monsoonal and geomorphological changes in the coastal wetland. During this period dominance of Avicennia and Cheno/Ams indicate low freshwater runoff from land suggesting a weakened monsoon condition enhanced by anthropogenic activity.

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Issue

Volume 84, Issue 4, October 2014

Section

Research Articles

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Published

2014-10-01

How to Cite

Srivastava, J., & Farooqui, A. (2014). Environmental Impact on Coastal Wetlands since 4 Ka in Cauvery Delta: Palynology and Thecamoebian Study. Journal of Geological Society of India, 84(4), 459–466. Retrieved from https://www.geosocindia.org/index.php/jgsi/article/view/57039

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