Provenance and sand budget of the arid frontier of Rajasthan, India

The aeolian sand spread in the Cis-Aravalli region has a provenance which is not that of the Trans-Aravalli Thar Desert. The textural parameters and mineralogenic population of the colluvial sand from the Cis-Aravalli area were studied. The size, roundness, sphericity and shape of the aeolian sand grains and the sand fraction of the colluvial deposits derived from Delhi metamorphics exhibit good correlation. The mineralogenic population of the QFO modes of the colluvial sand of the Cis-Aravalli area and aeolian sand from the arid frontier of Rajasthan (Ajmer-Jaipur region) indicate a Cis-Aravalli provenance for the sand of the arid frontier. The sand spread in the arid frontier (Ajmer-Jaipur-Bharatpur) region is similar to that of the dirty rubble of the Cis-Aravalli region, and appears to be endemic to the area. The sand budget of the arid frontier was estimated through daily recording of sand drift at Jobher over a period of one year. The average annual sand drift per 1 m2 at Jobner has been computed as 0•16 m3 and rate of average sand creep at Jobner has been estimated at 14•46 cm/year.