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Optical dating of late Quaternary carbonate sequences of Saurashtra, western India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 February 2017

Komal Sharma ,
Nilesh Bhatt ,
Anil Dutt Shukla ,
Dae-Kyo Cheong  and
Ashok Kumar Singhvi
Komal Sharma
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Kangwon National University, Kangwon 24341, Republic of Korea Department of Geology, M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara 390002, India Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmadabad 380009, India
Nilesh Bhatt*
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara 390002, India
Anil Dutt Shukla
Affiliation:
Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmadabad 380009, India
Dae-Kyo Cheong
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Kangwon National University, Kangwon 24341, Republic of Korea
Ashok Kumar Singhvi
Affiliation:
Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmadabad 380009, India
*
*Corresponding author at: Department of Geology, M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara-390002, India. E-mail address: nilesh_geol@yahoo.com (N. Bhatt).
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Abstract

Bioclastic carbonate deposits that formed because of a combination of nearshore marine, fluvial, and aeolian processes, occur along the Saurashtra coast and in the adjacent interior regions of western India. Whether these carbonates formed by marine or aeolian processes has been debated for many decades. The presence of these deposits inland poses questions as to whether they are climate controlled or attributable to postdepositional tectonic uplift. In particular, the debate centres on chronologic issues including (1) appropriate sampling strategies and (2) the use of 230Th/234U and 14C ages on the bulk carbonates. Using traces (<1%) of quartz grains trapped in carbonate matrices, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of quartz grains, deposited along with the carbonate grains, provides ages for the most recent deposition events. The OSL ages range from >165 to 44 ka for the shell limestones, 75–17 ka for the fluvially reworked sheet deposits, and 80–11 ka for miliolites deposited by aeolian processes. These are younger than the 230Th/234U and 14C ages and suggest that the inland carbonate deposits were reworked from older carbonate sediments that were transported during more arid phases.

Keywords

Optically stimulated luminescenceQuaternarySea levelClimate changeMilioliteSaurashtraWestern India
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 87 , Issue 1 , January 2017 , pp. 133 - 150
Copyright
Copyright © University of Washington. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2017 

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