Geomorphological evolution of badlands based on the dynamics of palaeo-channels and their implications

Abstract

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.

Gullies and badlands of India: Genesis, geomorphology and land management

“…At present, they exist as elongated depressions that are preferred areas of gully head growth (Ranga, Mohapatra and Pani, 2015).…”

“…Whilst supervised classification of seasonal Landsat-5 TM imagery has proved to be useful for semi-automatic delineation of badlands using the contrast in vegetation activity relative to the adjacent croplands (Ranga et al, 2015), radar remote sensing products (ERS-1/2 and ENVISAT SAR) lend further insights on the badlands' characteristics such as relief, density and surface cover (Chatterjee et al, 2009). However, badlands are best distinguishable from fused optical and radar imagery, compared to that of just optical or radar data (Khan et al, 2020).…”

“…Calcareous nodules, which are locally called kankar , are so plentiful that they are commonly exposed on the gully walls and floors (Singh, 1971, p. 604; Spate & Learmonth, 1967, p. 112). In fact, soils of the badlands have significantly higher calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) content than that of the nearby croplands (Ranga, Mohapatra, & Pani, 2015). Presence or absence of CaCO 3 has profound implications for erosion response of a landscape as it dissolves in the presence of water and carbon dioxide to form the more soluble and readily transportable calcium bicarbonate (Ca(HCO 3 ) 2 ) (Williams, 2004).…”

Dynamics and patterns of land levelling for agricultural reclamation of erosional badlands in Chambal Valley (Madhya Pradesh, India)

“…The area is covered by thick sandy-loamy alluvial sediments deposited by the Chambal and its tributary Kunwari River. They form an alluvial plain with very slight inclination towards the northeast, into which the rivers have incised due to neotectonic activities (Ranga et al, 2015a). The Chambal River banks (as well as, to a lesser degree, the Kunwari River banks) are bordered by up to 5 km wide belts of highly dissected ravine badlands.…”

Quantification of Hydrologic Response of Staggered Contour Trenching for Horti‐pastoral Land Use System in Small Ravine Watersheds: A Paired Watershed Approach

“…Land degradations are a worldwide problem (Haigh, 1984;Cerdà, 1999;Martínez-Murillo et al, 2013;Ferreira et al, 2015a). Ravine is one of the worst form of the land degradations and widely spread in the world including India (Sharma, 1979;Yadav & Bhushan, 2002;Pani & Carling, 2013;Ranga et al, 2015), South Africa (Boardman et al, 2003), Canada (Bryan et al, 1987), USA (Howard, 2009), Europe (Torri et al, 2000;Gallart et al, 2013), Ethiopia (Feoli et al, 2002) and Taiwan (Higuchi et al, 2013). Ravine land refers to a network of gullies that developed in the vicinity of a river system primarily because of large elevation differences between adjoining lands and river bed.…”