In the context of paleoclimatology and sea-level changes, the Quaternary fluctuations in sea level have profoundly shaped the coastal geomorphology of Kerala. Which global geoclimatic marker corresponds with the formation of the extensive lowland backwater formations and terraced laterite deposits in Kerala?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Pleistocene glacial and interglacial cycles drove repeated marine transgressions and regressions along the Kerala coast, carving out wave-cut terraces and depositing coastal sediments that ultimately formed the extensive lowland backwater systems. Catastrophic bolide impacts or orogenic uplifts do not account for these specific coastal geomorphological formations.