Annual Report 2011-2012 - Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany

EBIRBAL SAHNI INSTITUT
1946
OF PALAEOBOTANY
Annual Report 2011-2012
Project—Hydrological changes in western
Himalayan region during the last millennium
(sponsored by DST, New Delhi; No. SR/S4/ES-468/2009)
Tree ring samples of Pinus roxburghii from
various sites around Purola, Uttarakhand and Pinus
gerardiana from Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh have been
collected. The samples are cross dated and ring-widths
measured.
R.R. Yadav & B. Sekar
Project— Development of long-term high-resolution
climate records for western Himalaya, India using
multi proxy tree-ring parameters (sponsored by
ISRO-GBP)
Junior Research Fellow appointed in the project is
trained to take up the research work under the project.
R. R. Yadav
Project—Tectono-climatic variations during Late-
Quaternary in the Tangtse Valley, Ladakh, NW India
(sponsored by DST, New Delhi; No. SR/FTP/ES-123/
2009)
As per the objectives several exposed sedimentary
profiles in the Tangtse River valley were mapped during
one month’s field work in that area. The sediments
exposed along the valley are lacustrine, aeolian, alluvial
plains, colluvial deposits and flood plain deposits.
Presence of strath terraces, offset of streams (200-400m);
wide valley filled with debris flow, abandoned channels,
2 levels of river terraces (T1-14m and T2-7m) and fluviolacustrine
sediments at 4280m elevation, all indicate active
nature of KKF in the area. The drainage shows a tectonic
control and the Gradient Index (GI) values also point to
the activity along the fault lines in the area. Lacustrine
sediments are exposed along the Tangtse river on both
banks almost continuously at about 40-50m above the
present day river. The fossil bed of 80 cm was seen. The
fossils/subfossils were picked up and were identified up
to class level and for further investigation is ongoing in
collaboration with Dr. Rajeev Patnaik, Panjab University.
This will give us a precise chronology of these deposits
as in the Quaternary sediments till now we were not able
to get reliable ages due to the low organic content. The
samples have been prepared by coning quartering method
for LOI data. Samples from ~ 25 m of the section (418
samples) have already been analyzed. The samples were
also prepared for mineral magnetic analysis.
Binita Phartiyal & Randheer Singh
Project—Integrated nannofossil-ammonite
biostratigraphy of Wagad Island, Kachchh Basin:
Palaeoenvironmental and palaeobiogeographic
implications (sponsored by DST, New Delhi; No. SR/
S4/ES-521/2010(G))
Initiated work on the project from September 2011.
A field excursion to Kachchh area was conducted and
samples were collected from (Bharodia section in
Kantkot Dome, Patasar shale near Patasar water tank,
Chitrod Dome, Shivlakha Dome, Washtawa Dome, Nara
Dome) of Wagad Highland. Besides this, Lodrani section
of Bela Island, Amarapur section of Khadir Island, Kuar
Bet and Sadahra Dome sections in Pachchham Island
were also covered and samples from Matanomadh section
were also collected.
Jyotsana Rai & Abha (& Rahul Garg)
Project— Biosphere across Vendian-Cambrian and
Permian-Triassic Periods and their response to
Global Late Proterozoic and Late Palaeozoic
glaciations (DST-RFBR project Research-INT/RFBR/
P-102/1 dated 29/08/2011)
One Research Associate has been appointed, under
this joint Indo-Russian project. Stromatolite from the
Mussoorie Syncline has been sectioned for study and thin
sections of the chert nodules are being scanned for ECAP
acritarchs.
Permian and Triassic plant assemblages from the
Tatapani-Ramkola Coalfield in central India have been
worked out and analyzed. The flora was recorded from
thirteen different outcrops in the Barakar, Raniganj
(Permian) and Panchet (Triassic) Formations. The
taxonomical composition of the flora includes 15 genera
and 52 species. The composite assemblage demonstrates
that the vegetation during the Late Permian was
dominated by highly diversified Glossopteris flora. Thus,
it is inferred that the plant life was only transformed near
the vicinity of the Permian-Triassic Boundary (PTB) in
the Tatapani-Ramkola Basin and did not become
completely extinct.
Mukund Sharma, K.J. Singh, Rajni Tewari & A.S. Rathore
[& V.N. Sergeev & S.V. Naugolnykh, GIN, Moscow (Russia)]
Project—Analysis of climatic changes during the
Quaternary from glacial sites in India based on multiproxy
data (sponsored by DST, New Delhi; No. DST/
CCP/PR/07/2011(G), dated October 2011).
Appointment of project staff (two JRFs and one
Project Assistant) has been undertaken. Training to the
staff has been imparted regarding maceration of
Quaternary sediments. Preparations for field excursion
to Chaurabari and Hamtah glaciers have been initiated.
N.C. Mehrotra, Ratan Kar & A. Bhattacharyya
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