Application of Remote Sensing in Studying Holocene Sediments and Tectonic Episodes at Kelshi, Ratnagiri District, Maharashtra, India

Kelshi is a coastal village, located on the southern bank of the Bharja river in Dapoli taluka of Ratnagiri district. All along the coast occurs a habitation site which is overlaid by a sand deposit having a thickness of +20 m. The archaeological artifacts collected around the site are found to be significant in understanding the antiquity of the site. It also substantiates that, human occupation survived here for seven centuries. Remote sensing data interpretation carried out has revealed the existence of three lineaments in this area. In the field, the lineaments have been confirmed as faulted surfaces and the magnitude of the movements along are measurable. A geophysical survey was conducted by using ABEM WADI equipment for confirmation of outcome of the aerial-photo interpretation. It confirms that the area had undergone three tectonic activities after 1524 A.D. The inferences based on the investigations convinced us to study the historical seismicity of this region. A comprehensive and exhaustive investigation in such areas is necessary to know the evolution of the west coast of India and the tectonic activity during the late Holocene.