QUATERNARY VOLCANIC ERUPTION TOBA ASH FALL ITS IMPACTS ON ENVIRONMENT OF LATE PLEISTOCENE HOMININES IN INDIAN SUBCONTINENT WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO NARMADA VALLEY. INDIA

The 74,000 year-old super eruption of the Toba volcano, located in northern Sumatra, is recognized as one of Earth’s largest known eruptions and was certainly the largest of the Quaternary period (Smith and Bailey, 1968). It is presumed that it have led to both global climatic and environmental deterioration and had a impact on decimation of modern human populations (Rampino et al., 1988; Rampino and Self, 1992, 1993a) (Rampino and Self, 1993b; Ambrose, 1998, 2003a, 2003b; Rampino and Ambrose, 2000). However, the severity of Toba’s impact on climate and hominines has been contested and debated by scientist (Oppenheimer, 2002; Gathorne-Hardy and Harcourt-Smith, 2003). Geological, paleontological and archaeological evidence from the Indian subcontinent provides an excellent opportunity to address these issues. The intensity and scale of the Toba super eruption was multi dimensional and its column of eruption was so vast that it forma canopy of volcanic matrix led to the deposition of a blanket of volcanic ash across the continents and river valleys over India, Malaysia, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian and South China Seas. Resulting persistent terrestrial tephra deposits have been documented in a number of river valleys throughout India. (Khan et.al 1991 Acharyya and Basu, 1993; Shane et al., 1995; Westgate et al., 1998). The occurrences of volcanic ash have been located in Narmada, Tapti, Purna Son valleys. These occurrences are associated and preserved with archaeological, paleontological sites in these valleys. The present work is first attempt to collect condense the data on various aspects of eruption of the Tuba volcano, its impact on environment on population with special reference to Narmada valley.