SOUVENIR COMMITTEE - Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany

Training Programme on “PALYNOLOGY IN FOSSIL FUEL EXPLORATION”
[ September 10-17, 2012 ]
AN INTRODUCTION TO GONDWANA PALYNOLOGY IN INDIA
NEERJA JHA
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53 University Road, Lucknow-226007
E-mail - neerjajha@yahoo.co.uk
Gondwana - an ancient supercontinent, existed during Upper Carboniferous to Lower Cretaceous
time, consists of South America, Africa including Malagasy, India including Sri Lanka, Australia and
Antarctica. Palynology is the science that deals with the study of pollen and spores and other microfossils
of organic origin. Pollen and spores are the reproductive units of plants. They are produced in enormous
number and can withstand various physical and chemical factors due to the presence of a chemical known
as sporopollenine in their exine (the outer cover), thus, retain their morphological characters. The study of
fossil pollen and spores comes under the perview of Palaeopalynology.
The role of palaeopalynology in dating and correlation of coal seams and associated sediments is
well known and is widely persued all over the world. The pollen and spores in the rocks of different
geological time are quite different in their morphological and numerical characters and thus, presence of
particular type of pollen and spores or their group (= palynoassemblage ) characterize the particular
horizon. Dating of coal and associated sediments is performed by the quantitative and qualitative study of
these pollen and spores. By comparing the palynoflora of one area with the other, the rock strata are
correlated. Different Gondwana Formations of India consist of different palynoassemblages.
Talchir and Karharbari Formation is characterized by dominance of radial monosaccates viz.
Parasaccites, Plicatipollenites, and trilete genus Callumispora. Barakar Formation shows dominance of
nonstriate disaccates chiefly Scheuringipollenites. Barren Measures Formation shows dominance or
abundance of striate disaccates chiefly Striatopodocarpites and Faunipollenites and enveloping
monosaccate Densipollenites. Raniganj Formation is characterized by dominance of striate disaccates and
appearance of some new forms viz. Lunatisporites, Falcisporites, Klausipollenites, Guttulapollenites,
Densoisporites, Lundbladispora, Playfordiaspora which are stratigraphically significant. These striate
disaccates which are the dominant component of palynoflora in Raniganj Formation show decline in
percentage and gradually disappearance in Panchet Formation while taeniate pollen, cingulate, cavate
spores consequently increase in percentage. Thus, pollen and spores in different formations of different
geologic time are different in their frequency and morphological characters.
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, Lucknow
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