Research Article| March 01, 2012 U-Pb zircon dating evidence for a Pleistocene Sarasvati River and capture of the Yamuna River Peter D. Clift; Peter D. Clift 1School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UK, and Key Laboratory of the Marginal Sea Geology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 164 Xingangxi Road, Guangzhou 510301, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Andrew Carter; Andrew Carter 2Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Birkbeck College London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Liviu Giosan; Liviu Giosan 3Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Julie Durcan; Julie Durcan 4Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth SY23 3DB, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geoff A.T. Duller; Geoff A.T. Duller 4Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth SY23 3DB, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Mark G. Macklin; Mark G. Macklin 4Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth SY23 3DB, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Anwar Alizai; Anwar Alizai 5Geological Survey of Pakistan, Block 2, Gulistan e Jauhar, Karachi, Pakistan Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Ali R. Tabrez; Ali R. Tabrez 6National Institute for Oceanography, Clifton, Karachi 75600, Pakistan Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Mohammed Danish; Mohammed Danish 6National Institute for Oceanography, Clifton, Karachi 75600, Pakistan Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Sam VanLaningham; Sam VanLaningham 7School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-7220, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Dorian Q. Fuller Dorian Q. Fuller 8Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31–34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2012) 40 (3): 211–214. https://doi.org/10.1130/G32840.1 Article history received: 16 Sep 2011 accepted: 30 Sep 2011 first online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Peter D. Clift, Andrew Carter, Liviu Giosan, Julie Durcan, Geoff A.T. Duller, Mark G. Macklin, Anwar Alizai, Ali R. Tabrez, Mohammed Danish, Sam VanLaningham, Dorian Q. Fuller; U-Pb zircon dating evidence for a Pleistocene Sarasvati River and capture of the Yamuna River. Geology 2012;; 40 (3): 211–214. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G32840.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The Harappan Culture, one of the oldest known urban civilizations, thrived on the northwest edge of the Thar Desert (India and Pakistan) between 3200 and 1900 BCE. Its demise has been linked to rapid weakening of the summer monsoon at this time, yet reorganization of rivers may also have played a role. We sampled subsurface channel sand bodies predating ca. 4.0 ka and used U-Pb dating of zircon sand grains to constrain their provenance through comparison with the established character of modern river sands. Samples from close to archaeological sites to the north of the desert show little affinity with the Ghaggar-Hakra, the presumed source of the channels. Instead, we see at least two groups of sediments, showing similarities both to the Beas River in the west and to the Yamuna and Sutlej Rivers in the east. The channels were active until after 4.5 ka and were covered by dunes before 1.4 ka, although loss of the Yamuna from the Indus likely occurred as early as 49 ka and no later than 10 ka. Capture of the Yamuna to the east and the Sutlej to the north rerouted water away from the area of the Harappan centers, but this change significantly predated their final collapse. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.
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