A PRELIMINARY SPOROLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF SOME CARBONACEOUS SHALE SAMPLES FROM KAMPTEE COALFIELD, NAGPUR DISTRICT, M.S., INDIA* SHRIPAD N. AGASHE Department of Botany, Bangalore University, Bangalore, India & SULEKHA R. CHITNIS Department of Botany, Shivaji University, Kolhapur, India ABSTRACT iv. Wardha V<>lleyCoalfield m Wardha and Chandrapur District. The present paper is a part of the paleopalynolo• gical investigation of coal bearing beds of Lower Presently, 10 coal mines are working Gondwana age occurring in the north-eastern in this area and the coat deposits are of region of Maharashtra State. The paper deals second grade as compared to the lharia with the sporological analysis of two bore-core car• grade and are of non-coking variety. bonaceous shale samples geologically belonging to the Barakar Series of the Damuda System of Lower We have made extensive collections of Gondwana group, collected from Dahegaon camp shales containing megafossils and other area in Kamptee Coalfieldin Nagpur District. Both shale and coal samples for microfossil core samples have predominance of trilete spore studies from various coalfields mentioned genera such as Brevitriletes Bharadwaj & Srivastava and Lophotriletes (Naum.) Pot. & Kr. Next in above and started the palynological analysis abundance are the bisaccate grains such as Stria• of SOlne of the samples (Agashe & Chitnis, tites (Pant) Bharadwaj and Suleatisporites Bharad• 1969, 1971). Recently, N.C.D.C. Ltd. has waj. started drilling operations for prospecting of coal in the Kamptee Coalfield in a place INTRODUCTION called Dahegaon which is about 9 Km. from Nagpur. The present paper is a pre• liminary report on the mioflora preserved DURINGlogical studiesthe last havedecadebeenpaleopalyno•done on in two carbonaceous shale-core samples various Lower Gondwana strata by collected from Dahegaon drilling camp area several workers (Bharadwaj, 1960, 1968; through the kind courtesy of N.C.D.C. Ltd. Bharadwaj & Srivastava, 1969; Lele, 1963, The results obtained so far are encouraging Lele & Maithy, 1963; Navale & Tiwari, and it is intended to intensify the palyno• 1966; Tiwari, 1967; Kar, 1967). They have logical studies of these coal bearmg beds analysed coal samples palynologically from which will ultimately help in the demarca• the Talchirs, Raniganj, Karharbari and tion of the suspected Karharbaris from other horizons from various collieries the overlying Barakars and other problems situated mostly in the north-eastern region of stra tigra phic correIa tion. and M.P. region of India. A review of literature has indicated that MATERIAL AND METHODS very little work has been done on the palynological studies of coal bearing rocks The material used in the present investi• of Lower Gondwana occurring in Mahara• gation consisted of two fine-grained grey• shtra State. Hence a research project was coloured carbonaceous bore-core samples undertaken by us to investigate pateobo• which have been numbered as 54 and S5. tanically the Lower Gondwana Strata These samples were collected from the occurring in Maharashtra State. There are freshly drilled bore-cores in N.C.D.C.'s, four major coalfield areas in Maharashtra Dahegaon drilling camp area in Kamptee State as listed below. Coalfield which is about 9 Km. from i. Kamptee Coalfield in Nagpur District. Nagpur. Sample S4 was taken from an ii. Umrer Coalfield in Nagpur District. area about a kilometre from where S5 was iii. Bokhar Coalfield in Nagpur District. taken. Sample S5 was taken from a depth ·Contributed to the Palaeobotanical Conference, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Silver Jubilee, December 1971. 107 i08 THE PALAEOBOTANIST of 215 meters, whereas sample S4 W3.S taken M ierobaeulis pora Bharad waj from a depth of 169 metres. Mierojoveolatisp:Jra Bharadwaj The maceration of the samples was Gondisporites Bharadwaj carried out as per the method described Latosporites Pot. & Kr.' by Bharadwaj (1960). About 50 gm. of Laevigatosporites (Ibr.) Schopf, Wilson &. material was first subjected to treatment Bentall with dilute hydrofluoric acid for few days Pseudoretieulatispora Bharadwaj & Sri- in order to get rid of siliceous matter. After vastava the hydrofluoric acid. treatment the material Virhkipollenites Lele was washed thoroughly with water and Plieatipollenites Lele later treated with commercial nitric acid Nuskoisporites Pot. & Kr. (40%) for 3-4 days. The macerate after Crueisaeeites Lele & Maithy w3shing with water was subjected to treat• Densipollenites Bharadwaj ment with 5% KOH for few minutes. Part Cahenisaeeites Bose & Kar of this materia! was sieved through test Iltinites (Kos.) Pc t. & Kr. sieves No. 150 and No. 300 respectively. Striatites (Pant) Bharadwaj The residue on the sieve No. 300 was Vertieipollenites Bharada waj washed thoroughly in water. In order to Faunipollenites Bharadwaj separate the lighter organic matter con• L ~matisporites (Lesch) Bharad waj taining spores and pollen grains from Suleatisporites (Lesch) Bharadwaj heavier matter such as sandy particles, Gnetaeepollenites Thiergart cuticles, etc., a small portion of the residue Tiwariaspora Maheshwari & Kar was taken into a watch glass containing Welwitsehiapites Bolchowit water. The watch glass was shake!1 gently Ginkgoeyeadophytus Sarnoilowitz and the lighter floating organic matter con• Some of tile most significant spore genera taining spores was drawn off by a pipette. are illustrated in Plate 1. After' centrifuging the concentrated spore residue was mounted on slides in glycerine DISCUSSION jelly. This material was used for quali• tative study. For quantitative study the The palEopJlynological investigation of unsieved material was used. About 1000 the bore-core carbonaceous shale Sa:ITIpJES counts per sample were taken for quanti• has indicated the presence of rich assembl• taive studies. For classification and iden• age of microfossils particularly the spores tification of the spores and pollen grains and pollen grains of various kinds. Micro• mainly the work of Potonie (1956, 1958), flora recovered from these samples is Potonie & Kremp (1954) and Bharadwaj composed of at least 29 different genera of (1960) was referred. spores and pollen. Both of these samples, i.e. S4 and S5, were studied qualitatively OBSERVATIONS and quantitatively. The results obtained regarding the repre• Investigations carried on so far indicated sentation of different groups of polospores that both core samples are rich in various in both samples are shown in Histogram types of well preserved spores and pollen NO.1. It shows that the trilete group of grains. The mioflora recovered fwm both spores is dominant in both samples. core samples S4 and S5 appeared to be Striated bisaccate pollen grains form the similar in floristic contents. However, the sutdominant group. Monosaccate, monolete, perceiltage of individual spores in total polyplicate 'l.nd colpate grains are less com• population differs markedly in both core mon. Sample S4 is characterized by 50% satnples. The various polospore types re• triletes and 31% bisaccates in the tetal covered and identified so far from these population. Whereas sample S5 has 42% core'samples are listed below. triletes and 38% bisaccates in the total Punetatisporites (Ibr.) Pot. & Kr. population. Leiotriletes (Naum.) Pot. & Kr. The detailed analysis of sample' S4 Callwnispora Bhar::l.dwaj & Srivastava (Histogram No.2) has shown that among , Lophotriletes (Naum.) Pot. & Kr. the trilete spores, the genus Brevitriletes Aeanthotriletes (Naum.) Pot. & Kr. representing 31·1% of the total population Erevitriletes Bharadwaj & Srivastava is most dominant. Lophofrilefes andAean~ .