Evidence for Seawater Retreat With Advent of Meghalayan Era (∼4200 a BP) in a Coastal Harappan Settlement
Abstract The transformation of mature (urbanized) phase of the ancient Indus civilisation between ∼4200 and 3800 years Before Present (yr BP) overlaps with the beginning of the Meghalayan Age (∼4200 ± 100 yr BP). Though exact cause(s) for decline of urbanized Indus phase are not yet clear, researche...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2022-06-01
|
| Series: | Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GC010264 |
| _version_ | 1797638140057354240 |
|---|---|
| author | Archana Das Aashima Sodhi Chintan D. Vedpathak S. P. Prizomwala Rajesh Agnihotri Nisarg Makwana Jaquilin Joseph Nikhil Patel Sumer Chopra M. Ravi Kumar |
| author_facet | Archana Das Aashima Sodhi Chintan D. Vedpathak S. P. Prizomwala Rajesh Agnihotri Nisarg Makwana Jaquilin Joseph Nikhil Patel Sumer Chopra M. Ravi Kumar |
| author_sort | Archana Das |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The transformation of mature (urbanized) phase of the ancient Indus civilisation between ∼4200 and 3800 years Before Present (yr BP) overlaps with the beginning of the Meghalayan Age (∼4200 ± 100 yr BP). Though exact cause(s) for decline of urbanized Indus phase are not yet clear, researchers continue to debate whether monsoonal dryness was the sole cause or several other regional factors manifested in a compounding manner. Here, we show a regional relative sea level fall in the downstream area of Indus habitation (south‐western Gujarat region) which initiated at 4150 ± 230 and continued up to 3625 ± 200 yr BP. We provide a multi‐proxy (chronological, sedimentological, mineralogical, isotopic and elemental abundance) data set from a well‐dated vertical sediment trench from Lothal (ancient dockyard area of Indus era) to support this inference. Chief proxies used for inferring the relative sea level fall were bulk sediment carbon and sulfur contents along with their stable isotopes (δ13C and δ34S) and foraminiferal assemblage. The conspicuous shifts in majority of proxies hint at a lowering of sea stand at the regional level that likely dried this ancient Harappan dockyard (used for sea trade). Findings of our study possess implications for Holocene climate changes and their plausible impact(s) on Harappan trade and culture. Additionally, it invites evidences for large scale geological changes at ∼4200 yr BP distinct to the Meghalayan era. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T12:59:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1b1ffa953984443db5215bc56b931426 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1525-2027 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T12:59:11Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems |
| spelling | doaj.art-1b1ffa953984443db5215bc56b9314262023-11-03T16:55:19ZengWileyGeochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems1525-20272022-06-01236n/an/a10.1029/2021GC010264Evidence for Seawater Retreat With Advent of Meghalayan Era (∼4200 a BP) in a Coastal Harappan SettlementArchana Das0Aashima Sodhi1Chintan D. Vedpathak2S. P. Prizomwala3Rajesh Agnihotri4Nisarg Makwana5Jaquilin Joseph6Nikhil Patel7Sumer Chopra8M. Ravi Kumar9Institute of Seismological Research Gandhinagar IndiaInstitute of Seismological Research Gandhinagar IndiaInstitute of Seismological Research Gandhinagar IndiaInstitute of Seismological Research Gandhinagar IndiaBirbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences Lucknow IndiaInstitute of Seismological Research Gandhinagar IndiaInstitute of Seismological Research Gandhinagar IndiaBirbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences Lucknow IndiaInstitute of Seismological Research Gandhinagar IndiaInstitute of Seismological Research Gandhinagar IndiaAbstract The transformation of mature (urbanized) phase of the ancient Indus civilisation between ∼4200 and 3800 years Before Present (yr BP) overlaps with the beginning of the Meghalayan Age (∼4200 ± 100 yr BP). Though exact cause(s) for decline of urbanized Indus phase are not yet clear, researchers continue to debate whether monsoonal dryness was the sole cause or several other regional factors manifested in a compounding manner. Here, we show a regional relative sea level fall in the downstream area of Indus habitation (south‐western Gujarat region) which initiated at 4150 ± 230 and continued up to 3625 ± 200 yr BP. We provide a multi‐proxy (chronological, sedimentological, mineralogical, isotopic and elemental abundance) data set from a well‐dated vertical sediment trench from Lothal (ancient dockyard area of Indus era) to support this inference. Chief proxies used for inferring the relative sea level fall were bulk sediment carbon and sulfur contents along with their stable isotopes (δ13C and δ34S) and foraminiferal assemblage. The conspicuous shifts in majority of proxies hint at a lowering of sea stand at the regional level that likely dried this ancient Harappan dockyard (used for sea trade). Findings of our study possess implications for Holocene climate changes and their plausible impact(s) on Harappan trade and culture. Additionally, it invites evidences for large scale geological changes at ∼4200 yr BP distinct to the Meghalayan era.https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GC010264Lothal dockyardHarappan civilisationsulfur isotopesrelative sea level changeMeghalayan era |
| spellingShingle | Archana Das Aashima Sodhi Chintan D. Vedpathak S. P. Prizomwala Rajesh Agnihotri Nisarg Makwana Jaquilin Joseph Nikhil Patel Sumer Chopra M. Ravi Kumar Evidence for Seawater Retreat With Advent of Meghalayan Era (∼4200 a BP) in a Coastal Harappan Settlement Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems Lothal dockyard Harappan civilisation sulfur isotopes relative sea level change Meghalayan era |
| title | Evidence for Seawater Retreat With Advent of Meghalayan Era (∼4200 a BP) in a Coastal Harappan Settlement |
| title_full | Evidence for Seawater Retreat With Advent of Meghalayan Era (∼4200 a BP) in a Coastal Harappan Settlement |
| title_fullStr | Evidence for Seawater Retreat With Advent of Meghalayan Era (∼4200 a BP) in a Coastal Harappan Settlement |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evidence for Seawater Retreat With Advent of Meghalayan Era (∼4200 a BP) in a Coastal Harappan Settlement |
| title_short | Evidence for Seawater Retreat With Advent of Meghalayan Era (∼4200 a BP) in a Coastal Harappan Settlement |
| title_sort | evidence for seawater retreat with advent of meghalayan era ∼4200 a bp in a coastal harappan settlement |
| topic | Lothal dockyard Harappan civilisation sulfur isotopes relative sea level change Meghalayan era |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GC010264 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT archanadas evidenceforseawaterretreatwithadventofmeghalayanera4200abpinacoastalharappansettlement AT aashimasodhi evidenceforseawaterretreatwithadventofmeghalayanera4200abpinacoastalharappansettlement AT chintandvedpathak evidenceforseawaterretreatwithadventofmeghalayanera4200abpinacoastalharappansettlement AT spprizomwala evidenceforseawaterretreatwithadventofmeghalayanera4200abpinacoastalharappansettlement AT rajeshagnihotri evidenceforseawaterretreatwithadventofmeghalayanera4200abpinacoastalharappansettlement AT nisargmakwana evidenceforseawaterretreatwithadventofmeghalayanera4200abpinacoastalharappansettlement AT jaquilinjoseph evidenceforseawaterretreatwithadventofmeghalayanera4200abpinacoastalharappansettlement AT nikhilpatel evidenceforseawaterretreatwithadventofmeghalayanera4200abpinacoastalharappansettlement AT sumerchopra evidenceforseawaterretreatwithadventofmeghalayanera4200abpinacoastalharappansettlement AT mravikumar evidenceforseawaterretreatwithadventofmeghalayanera4200abpinacoastalharappansettlement |