Evidences of late quaternary neotectonic activity and sea-level changes along the western continental margin of India

Abstract

The offshore data on sea-level changes along the western margin of India have been reviewed and evidences of Late Quaternary neotectonic activity and subsidence are documented, based on the diagenetic textures of limestones from deeper submarine terraces and from the Fifty Fathom Flat off Saurashtra-Bombay, authigenic clays from the Kerala continental margin and onshore data. Offshore sea-level data relative to the eustatic sea-level show about 40 m subsidence sometime in the Holocene. Existing sea-level curves may not reflect the true sea-level changes. As there are several gaps in the data base, it is suggested that more systematically collected offshore data is an immediate requirement to chart the accurate sea-level changes and construct a regional sea-level curve for the Late Quaternary.