An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c14.s8.t2.6

v1.c14.s8.t2.6

The upper layers of the Upper Siwaliks (fanglomerates and boulder beds) and of the *karewas* (fanglomerates and semilacustrine fluvial beds known as upper *karewas*), glacial and glaciofluvial deposits (Pahalgam formations) and fluvial formations in the Kashmir basin—all suggest a distinct change in the depositional environment after the Lower Pleistocene. Tectonic movements have certainly played a great role in bringing out this change. As pointed out by de Terra, 1939, the uplift of the Pir Panjal by about 1520 to 1820 m caused change in the climate of the Kashmir valley. It is during this phase that the Pahalgam moraine seems to have been deposited in the LIDDAR valley. The fluvial boulder conglomerates observed downstream of Ganeshpur and up to the confluence of the LIDDAR with the Jhelum near Islamabad have been derived from the Pahalgam moraine. The overlying clay/sand formations suggest stability in the tectonic conditions and possibly indicate yet another climatic change in the valley.