Phosphorus fractionation in surficial sediments of Pandoh Lake,Lesser Himalaya,Himachal Pradesh,India

The fractionation of P in Pandoh Lake surface sediments has been investigated for the first time in order to understand its environmental availability and sources, and the eutrophication status of this lake. Inorganic-P is present mainly as authigenic-P (step-III). The authigenic P concentration is higher in winter relative to the summer and monsoon seasons and ranged from 35.9 to 46.9 μg/g. The loosely sorbed or exchangeable-P (step-I), Fe(III)-bound-P (step-II) and detrital inorganic-P (step-IV) were higher in the monsoon season and varied from 3.70 to 11.1 μg/g, 16.9 to 32.0 μg/g and 9.89 to 17.0 μg/g, respectively. Organic-P reached a maximum in the summer season and ranged from 8.00 to 14.9 μg/g. Authigenic-P and detrital inorganic-P show seasonal changes, as pH influences the interaction between P and CaCO₃ in the water column. In the winter season, phosphate is precipitated out of the water column and fixed in the sediments as a result of an increase in pH. Calcite-bound-P in the sediments may be redissolved by decreasing pH in the summer season. Relatively high rates of mineralization during the monsoon results in the seasonal pattern of organic-P fractionation to sediment as follows: monsoon = winter < summer. Iron, Ca, organic matter and silt and clay contents seem to play a significant role in regulating the seasonal P budget. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify the factors which influence sedimentary P in the different seasons.     

Landslide susceptibility mapping of vicinity of Yaka Landslide (Gelendost,Turkey) using conditional probability approach in GIS

On 19 February 2007, a landslide occurred on the Alaard?ç Slope, located 1.6 km south of the town of Yaka (Gelendost, Turkey.) Subsequently, the displaced materials transformed into a mud flow in E?lence Creek and continued 750 m downstream towards the town of Yaka. The mass poised for motion in the Yaka Landslide source area and its vicinity, which would be triggered to a kinetic state by trigger factors such as heavy or sustained rainfall and/or snowmelt, poise a danger in the form of loss of life and property to Yaka with its population of 3,000. This study was undertaken to construct a susceptibility mapping of the vicinity of the Yaka Landslide’s source area and to relate it to movement of the landslide mass with the goal of prevention or mitigation of loss of life and property. The landslide susceptibility map was formulated by designating the relationship of the effecting factors that cause landslides such as lithology, gradient, slope aspect, elevation, topographical moisture index, and stream power index to the landslide map, as determined by analysis of the terrain, through the implementation of the conditional probability method. It was determined that the surface area of the Goksogut formation, which has attained lithological characteristics of clayey limestone with a broken and separated base and where area landslides occur, possesses an elevation of 1,100–1,300 m, a slope gradient of 15 °–35 ° and a slope aspect between 0 °–67.5 ° and 157 °–247 °. Loss of life and property may be avoided by the construction of structures to check the debris mass in E?lence Creek, the cleaning of the canal which passes through Yaka, the broadening of the canal’s base area, elevating the protective edges along the canal and the establishment of a protective zone at least 10-m wide on each side of the canal to deter against damage from probable landslide occurrence and mud flow.     

Assessment of geo-environmental problems of the Zonguldak province (NW Turkey)

The Zonguldak province is a coastal settlement area that has been suffering from serious natural and human-induced environmental problems sourced by its geology and geomorphology. Since the province locates at the heart of a coal-producing basin, the geo-environmental problems related to mining activities such as esthetic degradation, disposal of mining wastes and subsidence of the abandoned coal galleries are badly affecting every day life in Zonguldak province. Disposal of municipal wastes is also a big problem since only one municipality out of 32 has a sanitary disposal area. The rest of the municipalities dispose their solid wastes to rivers or to the sea. The province has also some health problems, which are pointed out in the literature, related to coal mining and geologic environment. These are cytogenetic damage in peripheral lymphocytes and pheumoconiosis (most commonly seen at coal workers), goiter and cancer. Landslides are the most important hazards in the area since 13% of the total surface of the Zonguldak is affected by landslides. In this study, considering the hazard potential special attention is given to deep landslides and using the stepwise forward conditional logistic regression technique, the landslide susceptibility map for the Zonguldak province is produced. The results showed that the most important independent variables governing the landslides are slope gradient, volcanic, and sedimentary rocks of Eocene and clastic and carbonate units of Cretaceous. The landslide map is used as a base map for the production of geo-hazard reconnaissance map on which areas subjected to other important geo-hazards (flood, earthquake and subsidence) are also shown to provide guidance for both existing settlement areas to take the necessary preventive measures and for new developing settlement areas to avoid the problematic areas.     

Macro-zonation of landslide susceptibility in Garamaura-Swarghat-Gambhar section of national highway 21, Bilaspur District, Himachal Pradesh (India)

Landslides the most common geo-hazard in hilly terrain are short lived phenomena but cause extraordinary landscape changes and destruction of life and property. The frequency and intensity of landslides occurrences along NH-21 during the rainy season not only disrupts traffic movement but also misbalance the agro-economic and developmental activities of the region frittering away thousand crores of rupees from the exchequer. An assessment of landslide susceptibility is, therefore, a prerequisite for sustainable development of the region. The present study deals with the preparation of macro-zonation maps of landslide susceptibility in an area of about 100 sq km on 1:50,000 scale across Garamaura-Swarghat section of National Highway-21. The map has been prepared by superimposing the terrain evaluation maps in a particular zone such as lithological map, structural map, slope morphometry map, relative relief map, land use and land cover map and hydrological condition map using landslide susceptibility evaluation factor rating scheme and calculating the total estimated susceptibility as per the guidelines of IS: 14496 (Part-2) 1998). Numerical weightages are assigned to the prime causative factors of slope instability such as lithology, structure, slope morphometery, relative relief, land use and groundwater conditions as per the scheme approved by Bureau of Indian Standard for the purpose of landslide susceptibility zonation. The area depicts zones of different instability. The identified susceptibility zones compared with landslide intensity in the area show some congruence with the weightages of the inputs. The incongruence in intensity and frequency of landslide occurrences and the inferred susceptibility zones of BIS scheme allow other geotechnical considerations and causative factors to be incorporated for the landslide susceptibility zonation.     

Holocene versus modern catchment erosion rates at 300 MW Baspa II hydroelectric power plant (India,NW Himalaya)

300 MW Baspa II is India’s largest private hydroelectric facility, located at the Baspa River which is an important left-hand tributary to the Sutlej River in the NW Himalaya (India). In this valley the Sangla palaeo-lake has been dammed around 8200 yr BP behind a rock-avalanche dam and Baspa II is located exactly on top of this palaeo-lake. This special location represents a very rare possibility to evaluate the short-term, river load and hydrological parameters measured during the planning and operational stages of Baspa II with the long-term parameters gained from the palaeo-lake sediments from the catchment. Sedimentological and geomorphological investigations of the lacustrine sediments have been used to reconstruct environmental changes during >2500 years of its existence. The Mid-Holocene erosion rates of the Baspa catchment estimated from the volume and duration of deposition of the exposed lake sediments are at 0.7–1.0 mm yr⁻¹, almost identical with the modern erosion rates calculated from river gauge data from Baspa II. Several charcoal layers and charcoal pieces from the uppermost palaeo-lake levels around 5000 cal yr BP might be related to woodland clearance and they possibly represent one of the oldest evidences for human presence in the Baspa Valley during Neolithic time.     

崩滑堰塞坝(湖)的地貌环境效应

崩滑堰塞坝(湖)具有显著的地貌环境效应,这种效应在时间尺度上分为短期和长期2种,主要表现在河流水文过程、地貌演变、环境生态、景观等方面.堰塞坝形成初期河流原有生境受到干扰,河流生态和景观出现退化.堰塞体溃决强烈改变下游水文过程及河流地貌,严重冲击河流生境和生态,并可能对下游基础设施和群众生命财产造成灾难性破坏.长期稳定维持的堰塞坝深刻影响河流地貌过程,并显著改善河流生境、生态,提升景观水平.堰塞坝(湖)是河床持续下切、岸坡失稳而自然反馈形成的裂点,能增加河流阻力,控制河床下切,如能长期维持是河流健康稳定的促进因素.     

鄱阳湖对长江洪水调蓄功能的分析

通过建立洪水模拟模型，分析计算出鄱阳湖调蓄长江洪水的功能有限，分析了将湖区圩垸还湖对长江洪水的调蓄功能，提出了对鄱阳湖实行人工控制、更好地调蓄洪水的建议，将为减轻长江中下游的洪水灾害做出更大贡献。     

Landslide protection of the historical heritage in Odessa (Ukraine)

This study focuses on the specifics of modern geological conditions and deformations of landslide-affected slopes within the historical center of the city of Odessa. Landslide protection was developed in the 19th century and during 1960s on adjacent coastal areas, according to urban planning and landslide protection plans. The historical center was formed around the Odessa port and includes several unique architectural monuments such as the 142-m-long Potemkin Stairs, Primorsky Boulevard, and the Odessa Opera Theater. Architectural and urban planning designs in the city include landslide protection and preventive measures. Results of landslide studies show that landslide development along the Odessa coast is influenced primarily by tectonic movements and the heterogeneity of the geological substrata. All historical and contemporary protective and preventive landslide measures maintain their engineering geological integrity and effectiveness despite the differences in time of their construction and design.     

Study of soil gas radon variations in the tectonically active Dharamshala and Chamba regions,Himachal Pradesh,India

Soil gas radon measurements were made in Chamba and Dharamshala regions of Himachal Pradesh, India, to study the correlation, if any, between the soil gas radon, radium activity concentration of soil, and the geology/active tectonics of the study region. Soil gas radon surveys were conducted around the local fault zones to check their tectonic activities using the soil gas technique. Soil gas radon activity concentration at thirty-five different locations in Dharamshala region has been found to be varying from 13.2 ± 1.5 to 110.8 ± 5.0 kBq m^?3 with a geometrical mean of 35.9 kBq m^?3 and geometrical standard deviation of 1.8. Radon activity concentration observed in the thirty-seven soil gas samples collected from the Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh varies from 5.2 ± 1.0 to 35.6 ± 2.5 kBq m^?3, with geometrical mean of 15.8 kBq m^?3 and geometrical standard deviation of 1.6. Average radium activity concentrations in thirty-four soil samples collected from different geological formations of Dharamshala region and Chamba region are found to be 40.4 ± 17 and 38.6 ± 1.7 Bq kg^?1, respectively. It has been observed that soil gas radon activity concentration has a wide range of variation in both Dharamshala and Chamba regions, while radium activity concentrations in soil samples are more or less same in both the regions. Moreover, soil gas radon activity concentration has a better positive correlation with the radium activity concentration in soil samples collected from Chamba region as compared to Dharamshala region.     

Landslide susceptibility mapping using GIS-based weighted linear combination,the case in Tsugawa area of Agano River,Niigata Prefecture,Japan

A spatial database of 791 landslides is analyzed using GIS to map landslide susceptibility in Tsugawa area of Agano River. Data from six landslide-controlling parameters namely lithology, slope gradient, aspect, elevation, and plan and profile curvatures are coded and inserted into the GIS. Later, an index-based approach is adopted both to put the various classes of the six parameters in order of their significance to the process of landsliding and weigh the impact of one parameter against another. Applying primary and secondary-level weights, a continuous scale of numerical indices is obtained with which the study area is divided into five classes of landslide susceptibility. Slope gradient and elevation are found to be important to delineate flatlands that will in no way be subjected to slope failure. The area which is at high scale of susceptibility lies on mid-slope mountains where relatively weak rocks such as sandstone, mudstone and tuff are outcropping as one unit.     

西藏班戈错水菱镁矿藻类成矿实验及其成因分析

目前关于天然水菱镁矿的形成认识主要有蒸发沉积成因和生物成因两类。前人在室内成功制备出水菱镁矿矿物,证实了该矿物的无机成因理论,但是实验结晶条件明显高于西藏班戈错的寒冷气候条件和水化学条件,并且班戈错湖水通过自然蒸发结晶也难以形成水菱镁矿矿物,而这一认识与周边阶地上正在形成水菱镁矿的现象相矛盾。因此,自然蒸发沉积可能不是现阶段班戈错水菱镁矿的主要形成过程,而已有研究表明,藻类具备诱导形成碳酸盐矿物的能力,本文利用西藏班戈错Ⅲ湖湖水及其藻类开展室内模拟实验,并与无藻类的湖水自然结晶结果相对照,探讨藻类生命活动与班戈错水菱镁矿的成因联系。研究发现,藻类不仅能够适应高盐度盐水环境（矿化度117.3 g/L）,并且在其光合作用过程中还能显著提高周围水体pH值（最高可达10.564）,诱导并促进球碳镁石在藻类网状节点处结晶沉淀,该矿物进一步脱水即能够形成水菱镁矿矿物;而人为提高班戈错Ⅲ湖湖水Mg2+浓度也仅能结晶形成三水菱镁矿矿物,无球碳镁石或水菱镁矿结晶析出。因此,西藏班戈错水菱镁矿的形成过程与藻类生物成矿作用密切相关,但是有关球碳镁石向水菱镁矿转变的具体条件以及藻类成矿作用的具体分子机制仍不清楚,有待于进一步研究。     

西藏班戈错水菱镁矿藻类成矿实验及其成因分析

目前关于天然水菱镁矿的形成认识主要有蒸发沉积成因和生物成因两类。前人在室内成功制备出水菱镁矿矿物,证实了该矿物的无机成因理论,但是实验结晶条件明显高于西藏班戈错的寒冷气候条件和水化学条件,并且班戈错湖水通过自然蒸发结晶也难以形成水菱镁矿矿物,而这一认识与周边阶地上正在形成水菱镁矿的现象相矛盾。因此,自然蒸发沉积可能不是现阶段班戈错水菱镁矿的主要形成过程,而已有研究表明,藻类具备诱导形成碳酸盐矿物的能力,本文利用西藏班戈错Ⅲ湖湖水及其藻类开展室内模拟实验,并与无藻类的湖水自然结晶结果相对照,探讨藻类生命活动与班戈错水菱镁矿的成因联系。研究发现,藻类不仅能够适应高盐度盐水环境（矿化度117.3 g/L）,并且在其光合作用过程中还能显著提高周围水体pH值（最高可达10.564）,诱导并促进球碳镁石在藻类网状节点处结晶沉淀,该矿物进一步脱水即能够形成水菱镁矿矿物;而人为提高班戈错Ⅲ湖湖水Mg2+浓度也仅能结晶形成三水菱镁矿矿物,无球碳镁石或水菱镁矿结晶析出。因此,西藏班戈错水菱镁矿的形成过程与藻类生物成矿作用密切相关,但是有关球碳镁石向水菱镁矿转变的具体条件以及藻类成矿作用的具体分子机制仍不清楚,有待于进一步研究。     

基于HEC-RAS及GIS的川西叠溪古滑坡堰塞湖溃决洪水重建

青藏高原东南缘岷江上游地区地质环境条件十分复杂,滑坡堵江灾害及堰塞湖溃决事件频发,重建其灾害演化过程对于地区性防灾减灾和风险控制具有重要指导意义。以川西岷江上游叠溪古滑坡堰塞湖为研究对象,首先利用高精度DEM和ArcGIS软件重建了叠溪古堰塞湖的原始规模,其原始最大湖水面积为1.1×10⁷ m²,相应的湖容量为2.9×10⁹ m³;然后采用经验公式法和HEC-RAS一维水力学模型重建叠溪古堰塞湖溃决洪水的水力学特征。计算结果表明,HEC-RAS模拟的最大溃决洪水洪峰流量为73 060 m³/s,与经验公式法计算结果(74 500~76 800 m³/s,平均值76 000 m³/s)非常接近,误差小于5%。对应的最大洪水深度和流速分别为70.1 m和16.78 m/s,模拟河段的洪水淹没范围约为6.08 km²。综合误差分析推测的溃决洪峰流量误差范围为69 000~81 000 m³/s。叠溪古滑坡堰塞湖溃决洪水在世界范围内是十分罕见的,其最直接的影响是在下游数公里范围的河谷内形成大量带状或台阶状的溃坝堆积体和巨砾石堆积“阶地”,且这种影响仍延续至今,这与前人关于高能洪水水文特征和沉积特征的研究认识高度一致,证明本研究成果是非常可靠的。此外,本研究还表明,HEC-RAS一维水力模型可用于高山峡谷地区古滑坡堰塞湖溃决洪水重建研究,可为青藏高原东南缘岷江上游古环境重建和地貌演化提供参考。     

A geotechnical investigation of the retrogressive Yaka Landslide and the debris flow threatening the town of Yaka (Isparta,SW Turkey)

In this study the factors affecting the retrogressive Yaka Landslide, its mechanism and the hazard of debris flow on the town of Yaka are investigated. In the landslide area, the first landslide was small and occurred in March 2006 on the lower part of the Alaard?ç Slope near the Gelendost District town of Yaka (Isparta, SW Turkey). The second, the Yaka Landslide, was large and occurred on 19 February 2007 in the soil-like marl on the central part of Alaard?ç Slope. The geometry of the failure surface was circular and the depth of the failure surface was about 3 m. Following the landslide, a 85,800 m³ of displaced material transformed to a debris flow. Then, the debris flow moved down the Eglence Valley, traveling a total distance of about 750 m. The town of Yaka is located 1,600 m downstream of Eglence Creek and hence poses a considerable risk of debris flow, should the creek be temporarily dammed as a result of further mass movement. Material from the debris accumulation has been deposited on the base of Eglence Valley and has formed a debris-dam lake behind a debris dam. Trees, agricultural areas, and weirs in the Eglence Creek have seen serious damage resulting from the debris flow. The slope angle, slope aspect and elevation of the area in this study were generated using a GIS-based digital elevation model (DEM). The stability of the Alaard?ç Slope was assessed using limit equilibrium analysis with undrained peak and residual shear strength parameters. In the stability analyses, laboratory test results performed on the soil-like marls were used. It was determined that the Alaard?ç Slope is found to be stable under dry conditions and unstable under completely saturated conditions. The Alaard?ç Slope and its vicinity is a paleolandslide area, and there the factor of safety for sliding was found to be about 1.0 under saturated conditions. The Alaard?ç Slope and the deposited earthen materials in Eglence Creek could easily be triggered into movement by any factors or combination of factors, such as prolonged or heavy rainfall, snowmelt or an earthquake. It was established that the depth of the debris flow initiated on the Yaka Landslide reached up to 8 m in Eglence Creek at the point it is 20 m wide. If this deposited material in Eglence Creek is set into motion, the canal that passes through Yaka, with its respective width and depth of 7 and 1.45 m, could not possibly discharge the flow. The destruction or spillover of this canal in Yaka could bring catastrophic loss to residents which are located within 3–5 m of the bank of the canal. Furthermore, if material present in the landslide source area slides and this displaced material puts pressure on the unstable deposited material in Eglence Creek, even more catastrophic loss would occur to the town of Yaka. In this study, it was determined that debris flows are still a major hazard to Yaka and its population of 3,000. The results provided in this study could help citizens, planners, and engineers to reduce losses caused by existing and future landslides and debris flow in rainfall and snowmelt conditions by means of prevention and mitigation.     

Numerical simulation of the paleohydrology of glacial Lake Oshkosh, eastern Wisconsin, USA

Proglacial lakes, formed during retreat of the Laurentide ice sheet, evolved quickly as outlets became ice-free and the earth deformed through glacial isostatic adjustment. With high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) and GIS methods, it is possible to reconstruct the evolution of surface hydrology. When a DEM deforms through time as predicted by our model of viscoelastic earth relaxation, the entire surface hydrologic system with its lakes, outlets, shorelines and rivers also evolves without requiring assumptions of outlet position. The method is applied to proglacial Lake Oshkosh in Wisconsin (13,600 to 12,900 cal yr BP). Comparison of predicted to observed shoreline tilt indicates the ice sheet was about 400 m thick over the Great Lakes region. During ice sheet recession, each of the five outlets are predicted to uplift more than 100 m and then subside approximately 30 m. At its maximum extent, Lake Oshkosh covered 6600 km² with a volume of 111 km³. Using the Hydrologic Engineering Center-River Analysis System model, flow velocities during glacial outburst floods up to 9 m/s and peak discharge of 140,000 m³/s are predicted, which could drain 33.5 km³ of lake water in 10 days and transport boulders up to 3 m in diameter.     

青海共和盆地达连海湖泊流域的表土孢粉研究

对青海共和盆地内的达连海湖泊流域54个样点进行植被调查及表土花粉分析,研究了植被与表土花粉之间的关系. 结果显示： 表土花粉组合可反映出该区植被的总体特征;达连海湖泊流域花粉沉积来源于整个流域植被,花粉与主要植被类型之间相关性良好,但不能完全反映出群落的建群种、优势种和盖度等. 蒿属和藜科花粉具有超代表性,禾本科表现为低代表性,蒿/藜比具有区域植被生态特点与气候指示意义,在不同的植被区域A/C变化明显;影响达连海湖泊流域表土花粉组合的主要控制因素是风力作用.     

Tracing ionic sources and geochemical evolution of groundwater in the Intermountain Una basin in outer NW Himalaya,Himachal Pradesh,India

The present research aims to identify sources of ions and factors controlling the geochemical evolution of groundwater in an intermountain basin, comprising hill and valley fill region, of Outer Himalaya in Himachal Pradesh, India. The groundwater samples collected from 81 tubewells and handpumps are analyzed for major ions, trace metals and stable isotopes (δ¹⁸O and δD). Geochemically the dominant hydrochemical facies in the Una basin are Ca–HCO₃, Ca–Mg–HCO₃ and Na–Cl types at few locations. A relatively lower ionic concentration in the valley fills indicates dilution and low residence time of water to interact with the aquifer mass due to high porosity and permeability. The ionic ratios of 0.9, 0.8 and 3.8 to 5.7, respectively, for (Ca?+?Mg): HCO₃, (Ca?+?Mg): (HCO₃?+?SO₄) and Na: Cl, suggests that ionic composition of groundwater is mainly controlled by rock weathering of, particularly by dissolution/precipitation of calcrete and calcite hosted in rock veins and Ca–Na feldspar hosted in conglomerate deposits derived from the Higher and Lesser Himalaya during the formation of Siwalik rocks. Although Na, K, NO₃ and SO₄ are introduced in the groundwater through agricultural practices, Na has also been introduced through ion exchange processes that have occurred during water–rock interaction, as indicated by negative CAI values. Factor analysis further suggests three major factors affecting the water chemistry of the area. The first two factors are associated with rock weathering while the third is anthropogenic processes associated with high nitrate and iron concentration. High concentrations of Fe and Mn ions that are exceeded that of WHO and BIS standards are also present at few locations. The recharge of groundwater in the Outer Himalaya is entirely through Indian Southwest Monsoon (ISM) and depleted ratios of δ¹⁸O/δD in valley region indicate infiltration from irrigation in recharging the groundwater and fractionation of isotopes of precipitation due to evaporation before infiltration. High d-excess values and inverse relation with δ¹⁸O are indicative of secondary evaporation of precipitation during recharge of groundwater.     

Lithofacies and palaeosol analysis of the Middle and Upper Siwalik Groups (Plio–Pleistocene), Haripur-Kolar section, Himachal Pradesh, India

The Middle–Upper Siwalik Groups (Plio–Pleistocene) are exposed at Haripur-Kolar, Himachal Pradesh, India. The succession is 2800-m thick and has been subdivided into Unit M1 of the Middle Siwalik and four units U1–U4 of the Upper Siwalik Group, on the basis of facies associations, and type and degree of development of palaeosols. The available magnetostratigraphic ages for bases of Units U1, U3 and U4 are 5.5, 2.6 and 1.77 Ma, respectively. The top of the section has been dated as 19 ka.

Lithofacies association and palaeocurrent analysis indicates that the Middle and Upper Siwalik Groups were formed mainly by a basin transverse fluvial system. Two types of river systems, which differ in their size, can be documented in Unit-M1, Unit U1 and Unit-U2: one trunk river system similar to the modern Kosi and the other smaller river system, which formed tributaries to the former. The large rivers were mainly braided in nature. The Unit U3 and lower part of Unit U4 were deposited in the piedmont depositional system mainly by small braided streams and the upper part of the Unit U4 was deposited during a period of arid climate by sediment gravity-flows.

Integration of fluvial lithofacies and pedofacies helps to identify two fluvial depositional systems from the modern Indo-Gangetic Plains. The Lowland System involved deposition on alluvial megafans and interfan areas, which resulted in sand-rich and mud-rich sequences with weekly developed soils. The Upland System allowed large tracts to act as high ground for thousands of years, thereby giving rise to sandstone poor intervals with moderately to strongly developed soils. Occurrence of moderately to strongly developed soils was controlled by uplifting and tilting of large tectonic blocks, without any relation to distance from the main channels. Rate of subsidence apparently controlled the occurrence of Lowland and Upland systems. Deposition of the Unit M1, Unit U1 and Unit U2 took place under Upland and Lowland systems, very similar to those identified from the modern Indo-Gangetic Plains. The warm and humid climate between 5.3 and 2.6 Ma led to the formation of red Alfisols with calcrete nodules at places. Slightly cooler and drier climate starting at about 2.6 Ma and approximately coinciding with the onset of global-scale glaciation, produced poorly developed yellow soil with common development of nodular calcretic horizon and calcitc material disseminated in the groundmass. At ca. 0.9 Ma, a probable significant change to still drier and cooler climate produced typical sediment gravity-flows in the piedmont system, that continued until at least up to 19 ka.