HOLOCENE SEA LEVELS OF VISAKHAPATNAM SHELF, EAST-COAST OF INDIA

The Holocene sea level changes in the shelf areas off Viskhapatnam was studied from sediment distribution pattern and shallow seismic profil ing. Morphological features on the shelf indicate a Late Pleistocene r egression down to about - 130 m below the present sea level. A major s tillstand of the transgressive sea was recorded at about -80 m where c oarse carbonates and shallow water fauna predominate. During this peri od algal barrier reefs with reliefs varying from 2 to 8 m were develop ed between -85 m (10790 +/- 170 years B.P.) and -100 m (12530 +/- 170 years B.P.). Buried reefs observed at about -60 m give a clue for a po ssible strandline at this depth. Coarse elastic sand patch having mean size of around 1.0 Phi between -20 to -30 m suggests another strand l ine. The sea level rise during Holocene transgression seems to be disc ontinuous with temporary pauses.