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of a doiminant tidalbasin of the Holocene period around the region (Paul 2002). Surface height of the
beach ridges range from 3.5m to 4.6m above the sea level. Two or three rows of closed spacing
dunes separated by linear tidal valleys, represent the Digha surface of the the present day
shoreline.The two successive sand dunes are lying over the two significant terraces from the
shoreline to the inland location around Digha. The beach fringed dune row is continuous laong the
present shoreline of Digha, Shankarpur, Dadanpatrabar, Junput, Dariapur and Khajurri sectors.
Younger dunes, because of their active depositional process along the beach fringed shores, are
higher in altitude than the older ones. This dune row, though, is affected by toe erosion and wave cut
cliffs all along the shoreline from Digha to Dadanpatrabar areas. In between Ramnagar beach ridges
and Digha dune row, shore parallel salt marshes are extensive around the mouths of the Digha
estuary, Jaldah estuary and Pichhabani channel. They are also the tidal spill basins of monsoonal
high seas (Usually flooded from June to November) around the region.
Specific regions may be identified for dune ridge colonies along the western coastal plains of West
Bengal. The longest beach-fringed dune ridge sector of the Kanthi coastal palins runs along a stretch
of 19.5km shoreline from Pichhabani tidal pass to Rasulpur river. This low-height (3.3m to 6.0m) and
widespread dune sector (180m to 300m) of Junput region is covered partially by planted casurina
forest. Over a kilometer wide beach plain dominated by fine sand and silts, and associated seafront
tidal flat surface provide a mixed and complex sub-environments of idff energy levels for the growth
of Aeolian sand dunes and widespread estuarine or tidal flat deposits around the shoreline of Junput.
The northeastern part of the Kanthi coastal plain comprises of extensive low-lying tract of fluviomarine
deposits. The entire alluvial tract has evolved through the seaward advancement of delta fan
deposits of Rupnarayan and Kasai rivers at Holocene regressive phases of the sea (6000 YBP).
Estuarine tidal flat deposits are sre still active around the channel margins, channel beds and
unprotected tidal spill basins. The regions of Khajuri, Hijli, Nandigram, haldia, Sutahata, mahisadal,
and Tamluk have elevation ranging from about 2m to 2.4m above mean sea level. The lowland
surface is dissected by several tidal channels, Hijli tidal canal, Rasulpur, Haldi and Rupnarayan
estuaries. The land elevation of the floodplains and tidal flats of these rivers are expected to increase
concurrently with the sea levels as fresh alluvium continues to be deposited, except where this is
prevented by coastal embankments. At the same time, the raising if the embankments have further
impeded drainage from interior floodplain areas of Kasai and Rupnarayan.
Compared to an open shoreline of Digha, the barred coasts of Talsari and Junput, where an
emergent offshore sand bar or sand spit creates a more or less enclosed lagoon, have a more