Morphology and Development of selected Badlands in South Bengal (India)

Abstract

Field investigations on gully morphology and its inherent processes have been conducted in lateritic region in the western margin of Bengal Basin. At Here-Parvat, rilling and swelling processes produced deeply cracked surface drained by a finely textured network of shallow rills. At Rangamati, rilling and piping are differentially developed on slopes ultimately controlled by basal incision. At Ganganir Danga, vegetation cover is produced a sequence of badland development within which the relative importance of piping, mass failure and rilling varies through the sequence. Plots scale studies were examined and results showed simple overland flow is the dominant process; however, aspect influences rill network density and badland evolution. The factors controlling badland were effective over varying timescales, and implied morphological responses in different time period among the selected badlands.