Geomorphological evolution of badlands based on the dynamics of palaeo-channels and their implications V Ranga1,∗, S N Mohapatra1 and P Pani2 1Centre of Remote Sensing & GIS, School of Studies in Earth Science, Jiwaji University, Gwalior 474 011, India. 2Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110 067, India. ∗Corresponding author. e-mail: [email protected] The badlands along the lower Chambal valley represent the worst case of water erosion in India. These badlands are believed to have developed due to neo-tectonic activities and, probably, strengthening of southwest monsoon in late Pleistocene–Holocene. Due to neo-tectonic activities, the Chambal River has undergone many changes before reaching to its present planform. This study reports palaeo-channels on the Chambal River’s right flank along its lower reaches. Salient features of the palaeo-channels and their relation to present spatial pattern of badlands are studied. These palaeo-channels have significantly influenced the development of badlands along the lower Chambal River and have given them distinct and conspicuous spatial patterns. In the light of the evidences, a modified schematic geomorphic evolution of badlands development is also proposed starting from a pre-incision scenario till the present day situation. A major modification in the proposed model is the multi-channel planform of the Chambal River before its incision. 1. Introduction intricate network of gullies, thus forming badlands (also known as ravines; figure 1) along the Cham- The formation of Himalaya Foreland Basin (HFB) bal, the Betwa, the Yamuna rivers and their tribu- leads to one of the most extensive alluvial plains taries. Various evidences of neo-tectonic activities in the world, i.e., Indo-Gangetic plains (Gibling were recorded in the MAP. In fact, one of the most et al. 2005), where, Ganga Plains represent the striking evidences of neo-tectonic activities is con- fore-deep (DeCelles and Giles 1996) part of the sidered to be the incision of rivers and presence of HFB system (Goswami and Mishra 2014). The badlands along them (Ahmad 1968; Sharma 1968; southern margin of foreland basin is marked by a Mishra and Vishwakarma 1999; Agarwal et al. regional gentle fore-bulge (DeCelles 2011) in the 2002). Mishra and Vishwakarma (1999) observed form of Bundelkhand–Vindhyan Plateau (Singh that alluvium tract of western MAP has experi- 1996), while the northern margin is marked by the enced up-warping and down-warping wherein the Shiwalik Hills. From north to south, the Ganga Chambal River follows an anti-formal up-warp. Plain can be subdivided into three geomorphic Agarwal et al. (2002) observed tilted beds in the units: (1) Piedmont Zone (PZ), (2) Central Allu- sedimentary layers, open fractures in the gullied vial Plain (CAP), and (3) Marginal Alluvial Plain areas along the Chambal and the Yamuna rivers. (MAP) (Singh 1996; Agarwal et al. 2002; Goswami They, further proposed that Indian lithosphere and Mishra 2014), where, the MAP is enclosed by behaved rigidly in the process of thrust loading in the Yamuna River and the Indian craton. Marginal the orogen which led to formation of a set of con- Alluvial Plains are incised with the most severe jugate faults near the peripheral bulge. Badlands Keywords. Lower Chambal valley; palaeo-channels; geomorphologic evolution; badlands. J. Earth Syst. Sci. 124, No. 5, July 2015, pp. 909–920 c Indian Academy of Sciences 909 910 V Ranga et al. Figure 1. A typical scenario of intricate network of ravines in the lower Chambal valley. presents the most spectacular scenery in the other- edge, these features are not revealed so far in lit- wise flat topography of deposited sediments in the erature except in the Survey of India topographic lower Chambal valley, covering an area of ca. 4800 sheets where these are marked as local drains. There- km2 (Sharma 1979). Along with the up-warping fore, in this study, first, their salient features along of the area, intensification of SW monsoon in the with their implications to spatial patterns of bad- late Pleistocene–Holocene is also considered a pos- lands are studied, while in the second part, a con- sible reason for badlands formation (Tandon et al. ceptual geomorphic evolution model is proposed. 2006; Joshi 2014). However, the timing of badlands formation is not well constrained in the area but 2. Regional setting and study area Gibling et al. (2005), after dating a gully fill in the Kalpi region, found that the youngest gully fill sed- The Chambal River originates from the Vindhyan iments are ca. 35 ka (± 4 ka) old. Since these sedi- Range (Sharma 1979; Jain et al. 2007) and flows ments are actually gully fills, gullies and badlands through the Malwa Plateau where Vindhyans are must have formed prior to that period (Tandon et al. overlaid by the Deccan Traps (Narula et al. 2000). 2006). It runs a total length of 960 km (Jain et al. 2007), Mishra and Vishwakarma (1999), while studying where its catchment area is divided into three morphotectonics along the lower reaches of the parts, i.e., Upper Chambal Valley (UCV), Middle Chambal River, observed a 74 km long palaeo- Chambal Valley (MCV) and Lower Chambal Valley channel on the left flank of the Chambal River (a (LCV) (Sharma 1979). A total basin area of the part of which is shown in figure 2). They further Chambal River is ca. 143,219 km2 (Jain et al. 2007) opined that the palaeo-channel was a tributary to with a discharge of 387 m3/s and 22 M tons/year of the Chambal River and it has dried up before the sediment load, measured at Dholpur station (Bawa incision of the latter. During the satellite inter- et al. 2014). The discharge peaks in the monsoon pretations, many similar toned dark linear/curvi- season lasts for 3–4 months from mid-end of June linear features were observed running parallel to till September. The average annual rainfall is ca. the lower reaches of the Chambal River, on its right 800 mm (Ranga et al. 2015), more than 85% of which flank. Interestingly, these features seem broken is received in the monsoon season (Tandon et al. links and appeared to come from and diminish in to 2006). The UCV and MCV are covered mainly the badlands. Therefore, to they seem to present a with the rocky terrain; only the lower reaches flows strong link to badlands. Unlike the identified palaeo- on the alluvium, deposited by the Chambal River channel (by Mishra and Vishwakarma 1999), these itself. The major part of the Chambal River, in features are straighter, interconnected and devoid of the LCV, flows in parallel to Great Boundary Fault any apparent meandering. To the best of our knowl- (GBF) and Chambal Jamnagar Lineament (CJL) Geomorphological evolution of badlands 911 Figure 2. (a) Location of the lower Chambal valley in India; (b) structural control on the lower Chambal valley; rectangular box represents location of (c and d); (c) paleo-channels on the enhanced, with principal component analysis, ASTER image; (d) geomorphological details of the same extent as in (c) on the northern side of the Chambal River, palaeo-channel of Chambal is identified in Mishra and Vishwakarma (1999); and (e) panoramic field photograph of an earthen dam near village Tilonda (note person as scale). (until Pinahat; see figure 3). GBF is a fault which between badlands and the adjacent inactive flood runs along the boundary of Vindhyan basin (figure plains. At many places, levelling activities on such 2b) and extends for more than 400 km (Srivastava scarps were recorded, therefore, on such areas and Sahay 2003). CJL is a 900-km long set of boundary becomes vague and land use becomes fracture systems and parallel faults which extends transitory (Ranga et al. 2015). The active flood from Little Rann of Kutch/Jamnagar to Dholpur plain is restricted to the narrow incised valley, (Ramasamy 2005). GBF and CJL have SW–NE marked by point bars on the concave curves of orientation and thus control the flow direction of meanders (figure 2d), which are formed by meander the Chambal River in the LCV. A nick point is cut-off and lateral migration of the river. reported around Pinahat along longitudinal profile The palaeo-channels are all observed in the inac- of the Chambal River by Mishra and Vishwakarma tive floodplains which are now used for cultiva- (1999); from this point (figure 3) onwards, the river tion purpose. However, the paleo-channels exist changes its flow direction from SW–NE to NW– all along the lower reaches of the Chambal River SE. The average gradient of the Chambal River is but, for a detailed study, a small part of LCV was 0.21 m/km in LCV (Jain et al. 2007). Climate of taken (figure 2b, c and d). This part lies, almost, the region can be classified as warm temperate (C) in the middle of LCV and is representative of the steppe (S) with hot summers (a) i.e., Csa according conditions of badlands in it. to K¨oppen–Geiger updated classification (Kottek et al. 2006). 3. Datasets and methodology Badlands, in the LCV, incised the former active floodplains (which now are inactive) and formed a The datasets used in this study are from different narrow valley. Steep scarps form the boundary sources, i.e., (1) Remotely sensed data, ancillary 912 V Ranga et al. Figure 3. Location of the lower Chambal valley on the Chambal basin with geological details of lower Chambal basin with its major tributaries (source: Geological Survey of India and Survey of India). data, (2) soil analysis, and (3) field verifications. dams, etc., was mapped from the Survey of India The first section includes mainly satellite images (SOI) topographic sheets (scale = 1:50,000).