Mid-Holocene climate and land-sea interaction along the southern coast of Saurashtra, western India

The relict mudflat from the southern Saurashtra coast of Gujarat was investigated using geochemical and palynological analyses supported by radiocarbon dating to understand whether climate fluctuations and sea-level operated in tandem during mid-Holocene. The study revealed that the Saurashtra coast experienced relatively wet climatic conditions with simultaneous occurrence of marginally high sea-level between 4710 and 2825 cal yr BP. Subsequently, a gradual onset of aridity and lowering of the sea-level was observed between 2825 and 1835 cal yr BP, and further a slight decrease in aridity is observed after 1835 cal yr BP. The present day coastal configuration was probably achieved after around 1500 cal yr BP. Considering the tectonic instability of Saurashtra coast (land level changes), the effective mid-Holocene sea-level was estimated to be ∼1 m higher than the present. The study demonstrates that sea-level changes, climate variability and land-level changes were coupled during the mid-Holocene.