Offshore extension of Gomati river, Dwarka

Abstract

To identify the location of the submerged town in the Arabian Sea off present day Dwarka, a careful study of the marine geological environment was considered necessary as a follow up of detailed diving explorations by Marine Archaeology Unit (MAU) at National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa, India since 1984. Based on about 40 line-kilometres of echosounding, Side Scan Sonar and Shallow Seismic Profiling carried out in December 1989, underwater extension of the river Gomati has been mapped. The Gomati channel continues for about 1.5 kms and is about 400 m wide. The channel is deeper and narrow nearshore but widens out towards offshore. The channel is considered to be filled with fine sand having boulders, but detailed diving may provide useful information. Attempts have been made to identify the submerged extension of Gomati River by diving inspection and based on the results obtained such as findings like stone and iron anchors, circular bastions, etc. While many features reported earlier are confirmed, present survey has provided direct evidence on the channel alignment and therefore more reliable site plan can be constructed now.