M. K. Roy*, D. K. Datta**, D. K. Adhikari*, B. K. Chowdhury* and P. J. Roy*

Abstract

The Khulna City Corporation (KCC) consists of late Holocene to Recent Alluvium of the Ganges deltaic plain in north and tidal plain in south. The area is composed of sand, silt and clay in various proportions with small amount of coarse sand, which is classified into seven litho-stratigraphic units from base to top. Stratigraphic cross-sections and pannel diagram through the KCC area indicate presence of seven sedimentary cycles, each cycle resembling fining upward sequence. Complexes of channels of fluvial/tidal origin, natural levees, bars, swamps and plains like floodplain, deltaic plains, estuarine plains or coastal plain constitute the KCC area. Channels (tidal as well as fluvial), natural levee, flood plain, flood basin, ox-bow lake, abandoned channels, bars, swamps/ flood basins and estuarine plain have been recognized as geomorphological units within the KCC area. Of these the area occupied by the natural levee, flood plain and bars are ranked high for future urban development.

Key words:Khulna, Stratigraphy, Geomorphology, Sedimentary cycle