The Indus River basin, which irrigates the plains of Punjab, eventually empties its massive sediment load into which major marginal sea of the Indian Ocean?

💡 Solution & Explanation

The Indus River flows south through Pakistan after traversing Punjab and discharges into the Arabian Sea, where it has built a massive submarine fan over geological timescales. The Bay of Bengal receives major peninsular and Himalayan rivers from the eastern side of the Indian subcontinent such as the Ganga and Brahmaputra. The Red Sea is situated between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, isolated from South Asian drainage. The South China Sea is located in the western Pacific Ocean basin far from the Indian landmass. Marine sedimentation studies in the Arabian Sea provide insights into past monsoonal intensity and continental erosion rates.