Annual Report 2011-2012 - Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany

EBIRBAL SAHNI INSTITUT
OF PALAEOBOTANY
1946
Annual Report 2011-2012
inertinite group in order of dominance. Types of huminite
suggest that the ancient flora contributing as source for
the formation of Mangrol lignites, belong to the floor of
the forest, viz. shrubs and herbs, and middle canopy
vegetation (trees). The extrapolation of Gelification and
Tissue Preservation indices suggest the lignite as limnic
of probable back-swamp facies. The rank of the lignites,
determined through reflectance measurement (R r mean
:
0.27-0.32%) designate the studied lignites to low maturity
category.
Alginite (Botryococcus) from Vastan Lignite
Studied Tertiary lignites from the Mangrol mine of
Surat district (Gujarat) and documented the petrological
data. The overall petrographic composition is dominated
by huminite macerals (av. 44%) followed by liptinites (av.
40%) and inertinites (av. 9%) with mineral matters ranging
from 2 to 13%. Among the huminite group, detrohuminite
(attrinite + densinite) is dominant in these lignites followed
by structured telohuminite. The liptinite is chiefly
represented by liptodetrinite (6-29%) and resinite (6-
22%). Semifusinite, funginite and fusinite represent the
Fossil Fuel Exploration Research Group
Alpana Singh, Mahesh S. & B.D. Singh
Visited office of the Gujarat Mineral Development
Corporation in Ahmedabad and had discussions on
occurrences of coal/lignite deposits and mining activities
in south Gujarat. Undertook field work in coal-bearing
area (Thangarh) of Surendranagar district, and lignitebearing
areas of Bhavnagar (Surkha and Khadsalia mines),
Surat (Mangrol mine) and Bharuch (Amod mine) districts,
and collected coal, lignite and associated sediments
(carbonaceous shale, shale, clay, etc.) for organic
petrological and palynofacies studies from working mines
as well as bore-hole.
B.D. Singh & Mahesh S.
Project 8.1:
Development of Advance Centre of Applied Palynology and Stratigraphy for Fossil
Fuel Exploration Research
Efforts have been made to upgrade the facilities to
assure full realization of short-term gains and long-term
needs of the fossil fuel industry.
N.C. Mehrotra & team of Scientists
(engaged in Palynological & Organic Petrological studies)
Initiated the process to take up the consultancy work
on organic petrological aspects (maceral composition and
rank) of coal samples, in relation to coal bed methane,
received from Central Institute of Mining and Fuel
Research (CIMFR, Barwa Road Campus), Dhanbad.
B.D. Singh & Alpana Singh
Processed samples of Himalayan Foot Hills,
Vindhyan Supergroup and Krol Belt of Himalaya for the
study of palaeobiological remains. Also measured the
thermal alteration index of the organic remains in relation
to hydrocarbon prospect, and the report has been
submitted to Frontier Basins, ONGC.
Rupendra Babu & Madhav Kumar
Thrust Area:
MULTI PROXY PARAMETERS FOR QUATERNARY PALAEOCLIMATE
RECONSTRUCTIONS, VEGETATION DYNAMICS, RELATIVE SEA
LEVEL CHANGES AND ANTHROPOGENIC INFLUENCE (Integrated
Approach to Climate Change, Modelling and Sustainable Ecosystems)
Quaternary Palaeoclimate Group
Project 9.1:
History of mangrove vegetation in Mahanadi Delta
A 530 cm deep sediment core from the eastern
region of Chilka Lake has been palynologically analysed.
The results of CHI 51 profile has revealed four climatic
phases during the terminal Pleistocene and across the
Holocene. The overall vegetational sequence that has
emerged indicates that between 13,607 and 8,842 yrs BP,
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