HOMO ERECTUS AND HOMO SAPIENS IN VOLCANIC ECOLOGY WITH SPECIAL REFERNCE TO HOMONID OCCURRENCES IN NARMADA VALLEY, CENTAL INDIA

The Narmada river originates from the Amarkantak plateau of Satpura Ranges in Rewa at an elevation of about 1057 m (220 40 -810 45) flows westerly course for about 1284 kms length across the middle of Indian subcontinent before entering Gulf of Cambay in the Arabian sea near Baroda in Gujarat state. It enters the fertile alluvial plain and passes through the gorge of about 19 kms long consisting of Marble rocks near Jabalpur.It then takes westerly turn through the alluvial tract, situated between the Satpura and Vindhyan hills. The river course of Narmada conspicuously straight and is controlled by ENE-WSW to E-W lineament, is bounded by Vindhyan in the north and Satpura in the south. The valley has maximum width of about 32 kms. The Quaternary Blanket of Narmada basin covers an area of abut 12950 sq. km starting from west of Jabalpur (230070790530) to Bharouch (220 29; 760 58) in Gujarat state for a distance of about 1300 km. It is found to be ideal locus of Quaternary sedimentation in Central India as witness by multi-cyclic sequence of Quaternary terraces in the valley. The general elevation of Narmada alluvial plain varies between 265.7 and 274.3 m above the sea level. The general gradient of this plain in this stretch is about 1m /Km towards West.