Geomorphic and sedimentary records for deciphering the landform evolution at the Damodar and Barakar River confluence

Fluvial dynamics hinge on sediment erosion, transport, and deposition. These are the forcing factors responsible for changing channel morphology and landform evolution. Our study analyses these processes at the confluence of the Damodar River and the Barakar River in eastern India. It is a transitional zone between Archaean-Proterozoic crystalline rocks, lower Gondwana formations, and Quaternary alluvium. The landscape remains in a constant state of change, shaped by the annual pulse of flood and profoundly altered by two hundred years of anthropogenic activity.

An integrated framework evaluates boundary conditions, morphologic responses, fluvial drivers, and terrace archives. Despite comparable flow velocities in active channels, rivers transport distinct grain sizes and lithologies. The right-bank remnants of the Damodar River evidence past high-energy regimes and are absent on the left bank. Terrace sequences are unpaired, sedimentologic units are unmatched, and bank structures preserve ancient high-velocity signatures.