The Significance of Peat Deposits in Evaluating the Recent Environmental and Climatic Conditions in the Bangladesh Part of Bengal Basin
Abstract
Peat is a biogenic deposit which forms under water logged conditions in continental swampy to marshy environments when organic matter is produced by plants and deposited at a faster rate than it is decomposed. Climate controls the rate of plant growth, type of plant growth and to a large extent, depositional rates, all of which ultimately determine whether or not peat will form. Thus, the peat deposits are not only important as fuel resources but also important from an environmental point of view, because peat deposits of an area may provide valuable information about past environments as well as climatic circumstances of the area. At many places in the eastern part of Bengal Basin (Bangladesh) peat occurs randomly at surface to near surface conditions. Generally, the base of the peat deposit is about 15 m below the surface and peat is not found below that depth. As there exists a relationship between the depth of sediment i.e. peat and time, it signifies a sudden change in the depositional environment within the basin in the recent past. This peat forming environment did not exist before that time. The current research discusses the depositional characters of the peat deposits and their significance in interpreting the recent environments and climatic conditions in the Bangladesh part of Bengal Basin. However, the detailed investigation of peat deposits is yet to be completed and should be done to know the past and predict the future climatic and environmental condition.
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References
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