Palynology of the uppermost Cretaceous to lowermost Paleocene Deccan volcanic associated sediments of the Mandla Lobe, central India

Abstract

A palynological study of the uppermost Cretaceous–lowermost Paleocene sequences of the Deccan volcanic province in the Mandla Lobe of central India was carried out to understand floral diversity, palaeoecology and palaeoclimate during Deccan volcanic activity (67.4–62.5 Ma). The study involved 17 intertrappean sedimentary beds at 13 stratigraphical levels. The analysis shows the presence of a rich and diverse palynoflora represented by 47 genera and 61 species of pteridophytes, gymnosperms, algae and fungi. Among these, we recognised three new genera and 10 new species. At the lower stratigraphical levels (582–602 m above sea level), Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) age marker palynomorphs, namely Azolla cretacea, Farabeipollis minutus, Jiangsupollis striatus and J. intertrappea sp. nov., and the dominance of Gabonisporis vigourouxii and Aquilapollenites bengalensis were recorded. At the higher stratigraphical levels (698–858 m above sea level), Early Paleocene (Danian) age marker palynomorphs, such as Haloragacidites amolosus, Longapertites vaneendenburgii, Mulleripollis bolpurensis, Palmaepollenites nadhamunii and P. eocenicus, were recorded. The palynoassemblages and associated clay minerals indicate the deposition of intertrappean beds in a fluctuating climate, ranging from humid and semiarid to arid, and the prevalence of estuarine to freshwater depositional environments at the time of deposition. The palynofloral assemblages suggest the prevalence of a warm, humid tropical climate with high precipitation during the deposition of the intertrappean beds.

Keywords:

• Deccan volcanism
• intertrappean beds
• palynoflora
• K–Pg boundary
• palaeoclimate
• depositional environment
• central India

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Dr D.K. Kapgate for providing help during field visits and valuable information on the megaflora of the intertrappean deposits, and to Prof. Pankaj Srivastava, University of Delhi, for help in the interpretation of clay mineralogy data. Thanks are also extended to the Head, Department of Geology, for providing working facilities. We are also thankful to the editor, Dr James Riding, reviewer Dr Carlos Jaramillo, and one anonymous reviewer for their critical reviews, which greatly improved this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This paper represents a modified version of the PhD thesis of DT. DT and BS are thankful to the Science and Engineering Board (SERB), New Delhi (No. SR/S4/ES-619/2012), BS and DMM are thankful to the Ministry of Earth Sciences, New Delhi (MoES/PO (Geosci)/49/2015) and the University Grand Commission-SAP-II grant for financial assistance. Manchester’s participation was facilitated by the National Science Foundation grant EAR 1338295.