Changes in the Fluvial Regime of Western Maharashtra Upland Rivers During Late Quaternary

Abstract Recent geomorphological, archaeological, palaeontological and carbon -14 dating of alluvial deposits and the observations on buried as well as exposed channel deposits of Upper Krishna, Bhima and the Upper Godavari rivers of Western Maharashtra have brought out five major phases of fluvial activity, since late middle Pleistocene. These rivers were dominantly aggrading during theTermial late Pleistocene (c 40.000-11,000 yrs. B.P.) and incision predominated during the major port of the Holocene. These changes in the fluvial activity can be explained in terms of climatic changes of the late Quaternary period. The present study disproves the earlier view that the late Quaternary geomorphic history of the study area has been stable and uneventful.