Assessing the recent subsidence of the central coastal Delta of Bangladesh by dating submerged kiln

• Applicant: Professor Till Hanebuth, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Palaeontology
• Term: from 2010 to 2013
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 189838835

The delta of the Ganges‐Brahmaputra slowly subsides by subduction‐related tectonic subsidence (about 1 mm/a) and more rapidly due to compaction of the up to 60 m‐thick Holocene muds (estimated as 1‐ 4 mm/a). Two submerged kiln sites, 35 km apart from each other, with four to six box‐shaped kiln constructions are exposed by erosion at the current coast of the delta and are accessible during ebb tides. Their present exact position below sea level will be measured and the timing of submergence will be determined by luminescence dating of the kiln brick walls. The results are used to determine the continuous or stepwise subsidence of the coast. Few pilot data suggest the deepest eastern kiln (about 2 m below high tide) has been flooded 250 years ago (pottery dated by thermoluminescence) and, thus, the sites will yield information, which is of direct relevance for the modern delta. Furthermore, the kiln which were either used for pottery or for salt production will be sampled, documented and archived before their complete submergence or destruction by tropical cyclones.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Person: Dr. Hermann Kudraß