2000 Volume 51 Issue 51 Pages 39-44
The sea-marginal transition zone of the Mahanadi delta is a significant geomorphic belt running parallel and adjacent to the present-day shoreline. The various geomorphic features of this zone are of marine, fluviomarine and eolian origin. Within this zone, three subregions are differentiated:(1) the southwestern part in which the vast stretch of land is characterized by extensive coastal sand bodies along with an eolian dune cover;(2) the middle part characterized by numerous, discontinuous and parallel to subparallel series of ancient beach ridges separated by tidal flats or swamps;(3) the northeastern part dominated by tidal flats and mangrove swamps.
Prevalent wind has played a significant role in the differential development of geomorphic features, which reflect principal agents at work. In the southwestern part, the shore stretches against the prevalent wind direction, and wave and eolian processes are dominated to form stacked beach ridges covered by extensive eolian dunes. The shoreline trend in the middle part is almost parallel to the wind direction, giving rise to strong longshore currents which, combined with waves, form linear sand bodies parallel to the shoreline. The northeastern part is shadowed from prevalent winds. Wave and longshore processes are minimal there, and the extensive tidal flats and swamps are developed.
