Characterisation of Soils of Part of Ghaggar River Basin in Rajasthan with Endoreic Drainage

The unique feature of the Ghaggar river is that it does not have a delta/estuary and that instead of ending in the sea, it dissipates in the desert sands, depositing the salts carried by it. Such a process is called Endoreism and the drainage as Endoreic drainage and the plain so formed is called Endoreic plain. The Ghaggar flood plain was physiographically delineated using the satellite data using tone, texture, pattern and such other image characteristics. The portion to the north of the endoreic plain is transitional being between a dominantly dunal area on the south and a sandy arid plain to the north. This plain is however hummocky. The portion south of the endoreic plain is made up of poorly organised dunes, which are in highly disturbed state. The aeofluvial process is responsible for the formation of the endoreic plain. Wind and water activity have played their role in the upper endoreic plain while water flow appears to be dominantly responsible for the formation of the lower endoreic plain. This is reflected in the texture of the soils, which are coarser in the upper endoreic plain and become finer in the lower endoreic plain. Also the content of salts, soil pH and exchangeable sodium are higher in the lower plain as compared to the upper endoreic plain. The lower plain gets waterlogged during the monsoon season while during the summer, high evaporation causes salts to come up and cause salt encrustation. The effect of variation in landform on soil formation and soil properties has also been brought out.