The Palaeohotanist 37(lJ • 125·133, 1988 Palynostratigraphy of the Lower Gondwana sediments from Shobhapur Block, Pathakhera Coalfield, Madhya Pradesh Suresh C. Srivastava & O. S. Sarate Srivastava, Suresh C &. Sarate, 0 S. (1989). Palynosrratigraphy of the Lower Gondwana sediments from Shobhapur Block, Pathakhera Coalfield, Madhya Pradesh. Palaeobotanist 37( I) 125·133. Palynoflora] investigations carried out on bore· hole samples from Shobhapur Block, Pathakhera Coalfield in Madhya Pradesh revealed two distinct palynofloral assemblages. Assemblage Zone·! is rich in radial monosaccates, chiefly Par-asaccites and includes the lowermost coal seam of the area, the Bagdona Seam Assemblage Zone·2 is charaCterised by the dominance of nonsrriate·disaccate-scheunnglpollenites, distributed in the younger coal seams including lower (~iddle) and upper (Top workable). Assemblage Zone·!, corresponding to the known Upper Karharbari palynofloras, establishes the existence of Karharbari sediments in Shobhapur Block of Pathakhera Coalfield, which were hitherto assigned to Barakar Formation The Barakar palynoflora has continued into the lower part of Motur Formation in bore· hole no CMPS 43 of Shobhapur Block. Key-words-Palynoslratigraphy, Karharbari Formation, Barakar Formation, Lower Gondwana (India). sur-esh C. snuastaua & 0. S. Sa rate, Bir-bal sahni InstitUle of Palaeobotany, 53 Ul1IueYsity Road, Lucknow 226007, India. ri~T ~ ~ 'ftll' ,*~T it 'l~ ~-e:t'.f "If; ·~it~ ~ ~ 3l'rn 'fl' Q(l'Ii OI"fi1<i'4O<llli ~n ~ ,-fulrn;q Q!'i 3fj'l'1«;nl fn<rom t=mi ~ ~ ~ lltn ,*~l if 'l~ ~-iR <i; ~ir~ ~ it «U-fui:';ppi'i <i; Q<ilIiO,\'qif; if W'll?! q<I'IiO\GI'nqlil"lIi4\Q ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 31~ ~-lfrll-«TlTiRT ~!I ~ ~I 'll5"<1-' 3!frn Qif;q>Ic5lll'I, 4<1>'i'lif;I"RI1, if i1''IT "" iR <tT ~ ~I ~ ~-~.~4if<.nq,f\1;lI"fi!li. 31f'lfi'1~~it ~ ~-m-m lfrll. 'll5"<1-2 it fu; 31un-Q!'i '3'ffi <i; if ~ ~I ~ ~ ~ ~ir~ ~ ~ ~ '3'ffi it 'jffi! q'I'IIOl'Hfqfrl"llil'l it 'll5"<1-1 <i; mUTT 'R if oR ~ ~ 1m-~ ~ ~ir~ ~ iw-~ ~ ~'lfi1' sf7ffi ~ g fu; O!'l i1ili <fT l!RT "lTi1T 'IT I qQ'"0lGl1fYfrl"llil <i; ll\'-rt'1-Q't-rf'10 4.1 if ff<.l'f ~ ~m-~ <i; ~ 'lITlT if f<RrtlR ~I SATPURA Basin is the westernmost Gondwana Basin GENERAL GEOLOGY and includes Mohpani, Pathakhera and Pench· Kanhan coalfields. The former represents the The Pathakhera Coalfield, named after a small northernmost limb while the latter two represent the village-Pathakhera (22°06': 78° 10'), lies in the southern and south·western limbs of the Satpura Betul District of Madhya Pradesh. It is 19 km east Basin. Anand·Prakash (1972) studied the sporae· from Ghodadongri Railway Station. This coalfield is dispersae from Pench·Kanhan and Pathakhera area one of the most promising source of coal supply for but the information as such does not throw any light western India. Shobhapur Block represents the on the age of the coal seams of Pathakhera Coalfield. northernmost portion of the Pathakhera Coalfield The present investigation has been undertaken to (Map 1). develop palynological succession in bore-holes The Archaeans here form the basement for the CMPS-3S, 38 and 43. Lower Gondwana sediments which chiefly comprise 126 THE PAlAEOBOTANIST gneisses, schists and quartz veins. They also form ~I _IF •• • hills of considerable heights on the northern margin. { The Talchir sediments overlie the basement metamorphics and include khaki green needle shales, yellowish coarse-grained sandstone and the mudstone bands boundary in the south-east and west is faulted. The Talchir sediments are overlain by Barakar Formation which is the only coal-bearing horizon in Pathakhera Coalfield and includes three coal seams_ The Barakar sediments mainly consist of coarse-grained sandstones, rarely fine grained with occasional shale bands and coal seams. The Motur Formation overlies the Barakar Formation and + N -l.t.OI consists of greenish coarse-grained sandstone and INDEX t2J OECCAN § 81)ORI rORIolATIO/'o' red, yellow or green clay. The clays are calcareous in ~ i nature with occasional shale bands The Bijori o 8 ... R... K ... N rOI<: ... ",IIO,.. TAlCHIA rOA ...... lIQW Formation overlies the Motur Formation and contains u:rrJI) M01UR rORIolAIION W PR(C...... SRI A,... DIP "''''0 SlAII([ fine-grained buff coloured sandstones, shales and "" (OAl 50[1.101 SCALE ---<)0' __ ~AUli 0--- \k~ DIP .... NO STRIKE or rOlIATIO,.. micaceous flags. These exposures are seen on the '----' ........-z~ . banks of Tawa River in the north-central part of the AF"I( ~ l; S.I Pathakhera Coalfield. Map 1-Geological map of Pathakhera Coalfield, Madhya Pradesh. The geological succession (after Sastry et aI, 1973) in Pathakhera Coalfield is given below Sample Depth in LithOlogy Palyno· Recent to Detrittal mantle Soil and newer alluvium no. meters fossils Sub-Recent sub-soil Older alluvium Present (+) Absent (-) Upper Cretaceous Dolerite dyke and trap Rare (0) Basic intrusives 1 1819 Variegated clay ... Unconformity... 2 1970 Variegated clay Upper Permian Bijori Stage Green to grey sandstones, 3 20 Flrte grained sandstOne ( Rartiganj) shales and micaceous flags 4. 45 Green fine grained sandstone 5 4565-47 Green fine grained sandstOne « Middle Permian Morur Stage Green to grey sandstOnes 6 4R 50 Clay + fine grained sandstOne ~ (Barren Measures) with minor shales and 7 49 Green fine grained sandstOne ~ Cl coal seams 8 50 SandstOne Z 9. 57 Micaceous sandstOne o Lower Permian Barakar Stage Grey sandstOnes with <.J 10 59 Fine green sandstOne (not exceeding minor shales and coal 11. 61 Fine greyish sandstOne m) 500 seams 12. 61.50 Greenish sandstone + c:: :.u 13 62 Fine greenish sandstone ~ o 14. 63 Gritry sandstone . Talchir 150 to Talchir series Greenish fine-grained 15 635 Fine grained sandstone 600 m, maximum shales and sandstOne 16 64 Fine grained sandstOne + shale + in [he west) (boulders are recognised 17 67 Gritry sandstone + shale + in other adjacent fields 18. 67 5-68 55 Variegated clay to the west) 19 685569 5 Green variegated clay 20 70 Green fine clay ............Unconforlllitv. 21. 755 Green clay Archaeans Gneisses, schists, quan· 22. 7675 Greyish sandstone zites, crystal Iine Ii mestone 23 775 Fine grained sandstOne with micaceous streaks Collection of samples-All the samples are from 2" 78 Variegated clay the bore-holes. Bore-hole no. CMPS·43 is 27320 m ...Morur·Barakar boundary.. in thickness (Litholog 1) and is located at about 25 km west of Shobhapur coal mine The clay band at 25 7R.75 Fine grained sandstone with coal and micaceous streaks 78.75 m demarcates the overlying Moturs from 26. 9050 Fine grained sandstone + underlying Barakar sediments. The details are as 27 9425 Coarse grained sandstone + under: with clay SRIVASTAVA & SARATE-PALYNOSTRATIGRAPHY OF LOWER GONDWANA SEDIMENTS 127 28. 102.50 Fine grained clayey sandstone 66. 263- 264 50 Sandy shale + 29. 10290 Fine grained clayey sandslone 67. 265-2655 Sandy shale 30. 110 Coarse grained sandstone with BG-l 266-267.20 Coal coal streaks BG-2 267-20- Sandy shale + 31. Coarse grained sandstone with 267.40 coal streaks (greenish) BG-3267.70 Sandstone + 32. 115 Coarse grained greenish BG-4 268.35 Coal sandstone with shale patches 68. 268.5 Shale + 33. 124 Fine grained greenish gritty 69 269 Micaceous shale + sandstone 70. 270.50 Shale + sandstone 34. 136 Micaceous shale + 71. 270.60· Sandy shale + 35. 136.5 Fine grained sandslone with 271.60 micaceous streaks 72. 272.30 Fine grained sandstone with 36. 138139 Shale micaceous bands 37. 139.25 Fine grained sandstone with 73. 273.10· Micaceous shale + shale patch 273.30 38. 147.85 Shaly sandstone + 39. 15190 Sandy shale + .. Bore-hole closeo.. 40. 153 Fine grained shaly sandstone + 41 156 Fine grained shaly sandstone + The other two bore-holes CMPS-35 and CMPS-38 42. 16410 Coal are located at about 1.2 km north-west of Shobhapur 43. 164.25· 165 Carbonaceous shale mine and the details of samples are as follows. 44. 181 Fine grained shaly sandstone + A·1 18932 Shaly coal + BORE-HOLE NO CMPS-35 A 2 189.54 Coal 19020 Depth in meters Palyno· A· 3 189.20· Shaly coal + fossils 190.82 Present (+) 45. 19120 Shale + Absent (-) B·l 21153· Coal Rare (0) 21225 16496166 Coal Upper Workable seam B· 2 212.25· Carbonaceous shale 166-166.10 Shale Upper Workable seam 212.42 166.10· 16660 Shale Upper Workable seam + B·3 21242 Coal 18236·184 Shale Lower Workable seam + 21285 184-184.30 Coal Lower Workable seam B·4 21285 Coal 184.30·185 Shale Lower Workable seam + 21385 185186 Coal Lower Workable seam B·5 214.40 Shale 186186.50 Shale Lower Workable seam + 216.42 B·6 216.42·217 Shaly coal + BORE-HOLE NO CMPS-38 7 217·217 20 Coaly carbo shale B· 16516513 Coal Upper Workable seam 46. 217.40 Carbonaceous shale 165 13-16565 Shale Upper Workable seam + 47 218·219 Sandy shale + 16565-166 Coal Upper Workable seam 48 221 Shale + 16616683 Shale Upper Workable seam + 49 226 Shaly coal 183-50· 18390 Coal Lower Workable seam 50 227 Greyish black shale 18390-186 Shale Lower Workable seam 51 228.5-229.5 Carbonaceous shale + 18618695 Coal Lower Workable seam 52 23060 Shaly sandstone 18695-187 Shale Lower Workable seam 53 23130 Fine grained sandstone with 18718773 Coal Lower Workable seam + micaceous streaks 54 242 Fine grained sandstone with micaceous streaks PALYNOFLORA 55 243 Shaly coal 56. 24324355 Sandy shale + In the present palynological investigation the 57 244·24760 Fine grained sandstone with + following taxa have been recorded: micaceous streaks 58. 248 Shaly sandstone + Indotriradites korbaensis Tiwari 1965 59 24860·250 Fine grained sandstone with Horriditriletes nOulis Tiwari 1965 shale 60 250 25 Shaly sandstone Breuitriletes crasslIs Sinha 1972 61 25170·252 Sandy shale + B.