"Geologically, the entire SarasvatI river bed, and the arm of the Arabian Sea (formerly spanning into saline Ranns of Kutch) into which the river fell are on an earth­ quake belt...(2).
 
"Riven by long deep faults, the northwestern part of the Indian landmass is in a state of tectonic ferment .... The occurrence of earthquakes in the region bears eloquent testimony to these happenings [the northward movement of the Indian landmass against the Himalayas]. These movements along faults are accompanied by earthquakes, ground subsidence, land uplift, and drainage deflection or diversion. All these phenomena were witnessed by the land of the Saraswati over the last 10,000 years and more." (3)

Gujarat region is well known to be seismically active and hence susceptible to earthquakes and tsunamis (sea waves due to earthquakes) along the coast.  What is found in PK is an astounding narration of a phenomenon, which can only be interpreted as a somewhat fanciful description of a natural disaster that should have visited the Gujarat region in the remote past.  An equally interesting event described is the burning of river Sarasvatī, which obviously is an ancient version of how the once bountiful river dried up leading to disastrous consequences. [...] the present study indicates that the original Prabhāsa was not at Somanātha, but was probably located around (23.5 N, 71.5 E), nearer to the Kutch region. [...] the composition of PK may be assigned to a period earlier than at least ninth century AD.

"... the demons tumbled down to earth like planets devoid of their merits.  Dhūmra (smoky), encircled by other demons shone, while falling from the sky, like a half-ripe palm fruit surrounded by monkeys.  They all fell down like stones ... reached Prabhāsa and broke the earth to go underground.

"The above text is clearly a description of one or more heavenly objects hitting the then seacoast or the ground near Prabhāsa.  The comparison given, the name of the demon as smoky (Dhūmra) and the explanation that the demons fell from the sky like stones indicates this to be a wide spread phenomenon." (4)

"The further verses indicate that a metallic object eventually landed on earth, leading to earthquakes and disturbances in the oceans."

With fire in his hand, the ocean lit up like another Mt.Meru with fire at its peak. Due to the gases emanating from the sea (ucchvāsa-anila-udbhūtam), the waters overflowed and traveled in all directions ...

Broomstick mega-comet (mahā-ketuḥ) with hibiscus flowers as his ear ornament, having observed the houses of Vrṣṇīs, did not appear again.

There is also a reference to recession of the sea for a long time followed by a rise in the sea level. [...] The sequence of events starting with a meteoritic impact, receding of the sea, the learned among the community, under compulsion to eat fish [this is evidence of a famine forcing vegetarians to eat forbidden food], and the marine fire that is equated with kālāgni-rudra (angry fire of Time) of the vedas indicate a wide spread calamity.

In this chapter [Sarasvati-avatāra-mahimā-varņanam] it is mentioned, that after the fire started burning, initially the sea exceeded in its boundaries but later the coast started receding.   The text goes on to say that, at the request of the sea, the waters were restored, after some time.  This is similar to the statement in a previous place, that the sea at Prabhāsa once receded and once exceeded its boundary. [...] In the 346th chapter, there is reference to large-scale loss of life associated most probably with a sea wave or a tsunami.

At this stage, PK describes that Sarasvati divided into five streams called, Hariņī, Vajriņī, Nyańku, Kapilā and Sarasvatī, which have been associated with Prabhāsa in an earlier Chapter.

Sarasvati approaches a mountain by name Kŗtasmara. Here follows a poetic description of the mountain with its flora and fauna. The hill is personified as the king of mountains who first woos; but after being rejected, forces Sarasvati to marry him.

The next chapter of PK is called Sarasvati-avatāra-mahimā-varņanam, which, means description of the purpose of the avatāra (descent) of Sarasvati.

The text narrates five natural phenomena, namely, (a) falling of celestial objects and their intrusion into earth, (b) receding of the sea coast, (c) swelling of the sea leading to wide spread loss of life, (d) a terrestrial fire attributed as the cause of drying of River Sarasvati, (e) a severe famine. [...] The descriptions of weather change, famine, a falling celestial object, wide spread haze, emanation of gases, and sea waves can not be brushed aside easily as the inventions of the priestly class of ancient India to keep the ignorant masses under their sway. [...] Severe ground upheavals, reasons for which included a meteorite impact, should have caused Sarasvati to slowly dry up ....

Sarasvati may have formed such pools in antiquity. but such pools or lakes as are mentioned in the account of Pratiloma Yatra (sojourn from the mouth to source) of the Sarasvati seem to have been formed when the Sarasvati lost its perennial character and flowed only for a few month in the rainy season. That is, such a characteristic of forming pools is very late in the history of the course of this pre-historic river (5).