LATE QUATERNARY SEA-LEVEL CHANGES IN WESTERN INDIA - EVIDENCE FROM LOWER MAHI VALLEY

The Mahi and Kothiyakhad are two recently established marine formation s from the Late Quaternary continental succession of the lower Mahi va lley, Gujarat. These formations have yielded fairly rich assemblages o f foraminiferids, confirming their marine origin. The Mahi Formation i ndicates that the first major transgression of about 7-8 m high took p lace around 240 Ka in the Mahi valley during Late Quaternary. However, the second transgressive phase at similar to 4,000 years BP, represen ted by the Kothiyakhad Formation, is to be viewed in the light of the tectonic uplift in recent times. Results of radiocarbon dating of bott om and top mud layers of Kothiyakhad section indicate that the sea-lev el was high up to 2,000 years BP.