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10Be/9Be Ratios of Cauvery River Delta Sediments, Southern India:Implications for Palaeo-Denudation Rates in the Catchment and Variation in Summer Monsoon Rainfall During Late Quaternary


Affiliations
1 Department of Physics, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605 014, India
2 Department of Earth Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605 014, India
3 Inter University Accelerator Centre, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India
 

Present and past denudation rates (D) of the Cauvery river catchment determined using meteoric 10Be/9Be on drill-core sediment samples from Uttarangudi and Valangaiman sites in the delta vary from 18.7 ± 1.6 to 48.1 ± 8.3 t/km2/a. The present day denudation rates of 37.7 ± 4.9 t/km2/a and 36.9 ± 5.2 t/km2/a estimated for these sites are higher by a factor of two than that based on solute and suspended load of the Cauvery river. Denudation rates estimated using 10Be/9Be (reactive) is more accurate as it is not affected by damming of rivers. Based on 9Be fraction (reactive + dissolved) and previous studies, we infer that sediments for Valangaiman site were mainly sourced from Western Ghats and Mysore plateau, whereas highlands bordering southwestern margin of the delta mostly supplied sediments to the Uttarangudi site. The Western Ghats and the delta received rainfall mainly during summer monsoon and NE monsoon respectively. Comparison of palaeo-denudation rates with various proxies of the Indian summer monsoon shows inverse relationship between them. Lower denudation rates are estimated for Early to Mid-Holocene period which is characterized by intense rainfall. Drier conditions after 4.5 ka BP caused increase in denudation rates after 2.5 ka BP for the Valangaiman core, consistent with a response time of 2 ka required to change 10Be/9Be in sediments of the Cauvery basin.

Keywords

Cauvery Delta, Denudation Rate, Holocene, Meteoric 10Be/9Be, Sediment Cores, Summer Monsoon.
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  • 10Be/9Be Ratios of Cauvery River Delta Sediments, Southern India:Implications for Palaeo-Denudation Rates in the Catchment and Variation in Summer Monsoon Rainfall During Late Quaternary

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Authors

Soumya Prakash Dhal
Department of Physics, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605 014, India
S. Balakrishnan
Department of Earth Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605 014, India
Pankaj Kumar
Inter University Accelerator Centre, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India
Pramod Singh
Department of Earth Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605 014, India
Alok Sharan
Department of Physics, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605 014, India
Sundeep Chopra
Inter University Accelerator Centre, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110 067, India

Abstract


Present and past denudation rates (D) of the Cauvery river catchment determined using meteoric 10Be/9Be on drill-core sediment samples from Uttarangudi and Valangaiman sites in the delta vary from 18.7 ± 1.6 to 48.1 ± 8.3 t/km2/a. The present day denudation rates of 37.7 ± 4.9 t/km2/a and 36.9 ± 5.2 t/km2/a estimated for these sites are higher by a factor of two than that based on solute and suspended load of the Cauvery river. Denudation rates estimated using 10Be/9Be (reactive) is more accurate as it is not affected by damming of rivers. Based on 9Be fraction (reactive + dissolved) and previous studies, we infer that sediments for Valangaiman site were mainly sourced from Western Ghats and Mysore plateau, whereas highlands bordering southwestern margin of the delta mostly supplied sediments to the Uttarangudi site. The Western Ghats and the delta received rainfall mainly during summer monsoon and NE monsoon respectively. Comparison of palaeo-denudation rates with various proxies of the Indian summer monsoon shows inverse relationship between them. Lower denudation rates are estimated for Early to Mid-Holocene period which is characterized by intense rainfall. Drier conditions after 4.5 ka BP caused increase in denudation rates after 2.5 ka BP for the Valangaiman core, consistent with a response time of 2 ka required to change 10Be/9Be in sediments of the Cauvery basin.

Keywords


Cauvery Delta, Denudation Rate, Holocene, Meteoric 10Be/9Be, Sediment Cores, Summer Monsoon.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv115%2Fi9%2F1770-1781