Luminescence chronology and facies development of Bhur sands in the interfluve region of Central Ganga Plain, India

Bhur sand ridges in the upland interfluve surface are a distinctive feature of the Ganga Plain and occur as arcuate, linear and oval geomorphic highs. Their sedimentary sequence shows a few meter thick aeolian sand cover inva riably underlain by fluvial channel deposits in the form of point bar succe ssion. Infra-red stimulated luminescence (IRSL) dating of the topmost pare of the channel sand and the overlying aeolian sediments yielded stratigraph ically consistent results and indicated that the fluvial channel activity i n the region ceased sometime during 7 to 5 ka. This was followed by a phase of deposition of aeolian sand, suggesting a phase of weakened monsoon and increased aridity.