Beachrock exposures at wave cut terraces of Modern Godavari delta: Their genesis, diagenesis and indications on coastal submergence and sealevel rise

Abstract

Extensive beachrock exposures in vertical cliffs of wave cut terraces were observed along the coastal regions of Modern Godavari delta. Environmental association, geographic location, sedimentary structures, texture and petrography of these rocks reveal that they are sediments deposited at the swash zone of beach face. In view of prevalent rapid deposition during earlier progradational phase of the delta, the sediments got buried before inheriting the characteristics of beach. With due progradation of the delta, these sands were cemented at an elevated location in supratidal regions. Their present location

<span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";="" mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";color:black;mso-ansi-language:en-in;="" mso-fareast-language:en-in;mso-bidi-language:hi"="" lang="EN-IN">at or slightly below the low tide water line indicates ongoing sealevel rise coupled with coastal submergence. A conservative estimate shows 1.34 m of combined effects of these two processes.</span>