Luminescence Chronology of Loess-Paleosol Deposit in Kashmir

Das, Tantu (2019) Luminescence Chronology of Loess-Paleosol Deposit in Kashmir. Masters thesis, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata.

PDF (MS dissertation of Tantu Das (13MS052)) 13MS052.pdf - Submitted Version Restricted to Repository staff only Download (3MB)

Abstract

Loess is composed of silt size sediments, of aeolian origin. Loess is formed by wind-blown sediments. Paleosol is preserved ancient weathering profiles or soils that contain information about atmospheric composition. Loess deposit typically consists alternating of loess beds formed by silt deposition under the cold and arid climatic condition. Whereas, paleosols develop during the warm and humid interglacial condition. Kashmir state has one of the finest developments of the stratigraphic sequences right from the Archean to the recent. Kashmir holds a complete sequence of marine Palaeozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic. The Late Quaternary loess-paleosol sequences are widely distributed all over the Kashmir covering an area of approximately 500 square kilometres, and form a veneer of sediments over the Karewa formation. The maximum thickness of loess-paleosol sequences is in South-Western part of Kashmir where it acquires up to 24 m thickness and decreases toward the North-Western part of the Valley. Samples were collected mostly from the well-developed paleosols. The ages of the palaeosol samples range between 30 ka to 54 ka. In addition to that, some loess samples were also collected which are ~ 36 ka suggesting that there was a humid phase after 58 ka, but in between, there was also comparatively dry phases which led to the formation of aeolian deposits.

Actions (login required)

View Item