A thickness of over 300 m of dominantly alluvial sediments in the nort
h Gujarat plains suggest that the sedimentation took place during the
late Quaternary period in a huge graben bounded by faults that are rel
ated to the Cambay basin. An ancient super fluvial system was responsi
ble for this vast accumulation. Most of the present day rivers are the
remnants of that former system and have exposed the sediments in clif
f sections. The present course of the Sabarmati appears to be unrelate
d to the former system for much of its length. Its course is controlle
d by a major lineament that developed subsequent to the deposition of
the entire sequence. The earlier course of the river is now represente
d by the river Rupen. The uplift of the Aravallis during the Mid-Late
Quaternary and the eustatic sea level changes might have disrupted the
older system.