Establishment of missing stream link between the Markanda river and the Vedic Saraswati river in Haryana, India - geoelectrical resistivity approach.

摘要

A missing stream link between the Markanda river and the Vedic Saraswati river in the plains of northern Haryana has been established based on geoelectrical resistivity surveys. The study revealed extensive buried sand channels composed of coarse sand with gravel and fine sand. The average thickness of coarse sand with gravel aquifer horizon was about 90 m and has been identified at a depth between 10 and 100 m. The fine sand horizon was observed beyond a depth of about 45 m. These sand bodies are extended laterally for a distance of about 12 km in the northeast to southwest direction connecting the Markanda river and the Vedic Saraswati river. The transverse resistance values of these buried channels (7392-7585 Omega m2 for coarse sand with gravel, and 384-2856 Omega m2 for fine sand) indicate good groundwater potential. The age of these buried sand bodies belongs to the Late Harappan period, as evident from different archaeological sites found in and around the survey area. Thus, the present study reveals that once the Markanda basin was a part of the Vedic Saraswati river system, and one of the headwaters of the once celebrated Vedic Saraswati river can be identified as the present Markanda river.