Effects of climate, sea level, and tectonics unraveled for last deglaciation turbidite records of the Arabian Sea

Turbidite sedimentation in a slope basin of the active margin of southwestern Pakistan (Makran) and on the abyssal plain of the Arabian Sea (Indus Fan) off the passive margin of southeastern Pakistan (Sindh) was most frequent during the last sea-level lowstand, In both regions turbidite sedimentation rates decreased during early sea-level rise. It stopped on the midfan of the Indus system after 11500 C-14 yr B.P., while turbidite sedimentation in the slope basin of the Makran continued, although at slower rates, After ca, 7000 C-14 yr B.P. sedimentation rates in the Makran decreased further as a consequence of increasing continental aridity, but turbidite sedimentation did not stop. The climate signal is identified in the hemipelagic intervals by conspicuous trends in grain size and chemical composition. The continued sedimentation on the Makran can be attributed to the narrow shelf width, which is a characteristic of active plate margins.