Evaluating the Site Formation Processes in Central Narmada Valley using RUSLE

Sakina Abdeali Halvadwala1* and Pratik Pandey2

The site formation processes active such as erosion, transportation, and deposition are dynamic in a river system and it is important to understand the impact of these processes on the context and distribution of artefacts. The present study aims to understand one of the most powerful site formation processes in fluvial systems i.e. erosion through modelling. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model considers different parameters to estimate the quantity of soil erosion to study the visibility of archaeological sites for targeted surveys. In this study, RUSLE was used to understand the relationship between the rate of soil erosion and the visibility of fossils in a fluvial system. The RUSLE modelling results identified the erosion patches at both local and regional scales in order to address the impact of erosion on the preservation and visibility of these places. The results of the study show a relationship between the basin's erosion levels and the many prehistoric cultures they were associated with, indicating that geomorphological processes had an impact on the distribution and preservation of archaeological sites. This study is important as its results will help researchers in future to determine the potential regions to survey with the help of models.