Sedimentation rate of the floodplain sediments of the Yamuna river basin (tributary of the river Ganges, India) by using 210Pb and 137Cs techniques

Abstract

The isotopes 137Cs and 210Pb were determined in sediment cores originating from the floodplain of the river Yamuna (the largest tributary in the Ganges river system, India). Sampling was done at five locations: Sharanpur (next to the Himalayan foothills), Delhi, Jagmanpur, Hamirpur and Allahabad, where Yamuna meets the Ganges. The rate of sedimentation derived from both techniques, 137Cs and 210Pb, appears to be quite similar. At the station Sharanpur the highest rate of sedimentation (5.99 cm/y) was noticed, most probably due to deforestation and other human influences in the Himalayan regions, while the lowest rate was observed in Hamirpur (2.48 cm/y). All the five cores studied showed a 137Cs peak of 1963, due to radioactive fallout, caused by weapon tests. The three upstream stations (Sharanpur, Delhi and Jagmanpur) showed a 137Cs peak due to the Chernobyl event. These measurements reflect that Chernobyl debris have been transferred to the low latitude river system across the Himalayas.