Sequence stratigraphic interpretation of sediments from the Bengal Delta Plain, West Bengal, India
Authors: Neidhardt, H., Biswas, A., Freikowski, D., Majumder, S., Chatterjee, D. and Berner, Z.A.
Journal: Applied Geochemistry
Volume: 36
Pages: 70-82
ISSN: 0883-2927
DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeochem.2013.06.017
Abstract:The study focuses on the reconstruction of the subrecent sedimentation history of the central floodplain area of the Bengal Delta Plain by means of geochemical and lithological tools. Sediments from two boreholes were analyzed in respect of lithology, geochemistry and isotopic composition of embedded organic matter. Based on these parameters, different lithofacies could be distinguished and characterized that reflect frequent changes in the prevailing sedimentary depositional environment in the subrecent past. The lowest facies comprises poorly sorted fluvial sediments composed of fine gravel to clay pointing at high transport energy and intense relocation processes. This facies is considered to belong to an early Holocene lowstand systems tract that followed the last glacial maximum. Fine to medium sands above it mark a gradual change to a transgressive systems tract. Here, upwards increasing proportions of silt and the stable isotopic composition of embedded organic matter indicate a gradual change from fluvial channel infill sediments towards more estuarine and marine influenced deposits. Youngest (middle to late Holocene) sediments are composed of clayey and silty overbank deposits of the Hooghly River and form a low-relief delta-floodplain. Within these silt- and clay-rich sediments, small concretions and mottles of secondary Mn-oxides and Fe-(oxyhydr)oxides with relatively high contents of trace elements like Zn, Ni, Cu and As occur close to the surface (1.45-4.65. m depth), marking the fluctuation range of the unsaturated zone. This paper makes a contribution to the decipherment of the complex sedimentation history of the Bengal Delta Plain, allowing new insights notably in the barely investigated central floodplain area of West Bengal. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
Source: Scopus
Reconstructing the sedimentation history of the Bengal Delta Plain by means of geochemical and stable isotopic data
Authors: Neidhardt, H., Biswas, A., Freikowski, D., Majumder, S., Chatterjee, D. and Berner, Z.A.
Journal: APPLIED GEOCHEMISTRY
Volume: 36
Pages: 70-82
ISSN: 0883-2927
DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeochem.2013.06.017
Source: Web of Science (Lite)