Dyke-controlled chute canyon at Mendha on River Par, western India

Chute channels in rivers flowing on bedrock are uncommon and shaped under limited range of fluvial conditions. This study presents a mechanism of initiation and further development of a chute canyon in the Deccan Trap bedrock along the course of River Par in western India. Based on field evidences, OSL dating, hydraulics and resistivity of the dykes, we hypothesize that the morphology of the canyon is a result of interplay between flood-evoked excavation of a dyke by head-cut migration of gullies from the downstream end of the forming chute and downstream extension by undercutting process. Intermittent slope failure and plucking have contributed to the widening and deepening of the chute canyon.