Counter-intuitive influence of Himalayan river morphodynamics on Indus Civilisation urban settlements

Ajit Singh, Kristina J. Thomsen, Rajiv Sinha, Jan-Pieter Buylaert, Andrew Carter, Darren F. Mark, Philippa J. Mason, Alexander L. Densmore, Andrew S. Murray, Mayank Jain, Debajyoti Paul and Sanjeev Gupta ()
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Ajit Singh: Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Kristina J. Thomsen: Technical University of Denmark, DTU Risø Campus
Rajiv Sinha: Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Jan-Pieter Buylaert: Technical University of Denmark, DTU Risø Campus
Andrew Carter: Birkbeck, University of London
Darren F. Mark: Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre
Philippa J. Mason: Imperial College London
Alexander L. Densmore: Durham University
Andrew S. Murray: Department of Geoscience, Aarhus University, DTU Risø Campus
Mayank Jain: Technical University of Denmark, DTU Risø Campus
Debajyoti Paul: Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Sanjeev Gupta: Imperial College London

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract Urbanism in the Bronze-age Indus Civilisation (~4.6–3.9 thousand years before the present, ka) has been linked to water resources provided by large Himalayan river systems, although the largest concentrations of urban-scale Indus settlements are located far from extant Himalayan rivers. Here we analyse the sedimentary architecture, chronology and provenance of a major palaeochannel associated with many of these settlements. We show that the palaeochannel is a former course of the Sutlej River, the third largest of the present-day Himalayan rivers. Using optically stimulated luminescence dating of sand grains, we demonstrate that flow of the Sutlej in this course terminated considerably earlier than Indus occupation, with diversion to its present course complete shortly after ~8 ka. Indus urban settlements thus developed along an abandoned river valley rather than an active Himalayan river. Confinement of the Sutlej to its present incised course after ~8 ka likely reduced its propensity to re-route frequently thus enabling long-term stability for Indus settlements sited along the relict palaeochannel.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01643-9

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