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Record of Charcoal from Early Maastrichtian Intertrappean Lake Sediments of Bagh Valley of Madhya Pradesh:Palaeofire Proxy


Affiliations
1 Department of Geology, RTM Nagpur University, Nagpur 440 001, India
2 Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, Mumbai 400 076, India
 

Presence of charcoal in intertrappean lake sediments associated with the Malwa Group of the Deccan trap, India is recorded. The finding provides the first evidence of palaeofire in the Indian late Cretaceous. Though previous studies have shown the presence of carbonaceous clays and coal bands in the Deccan volcanic associated sediments, the presence of fossil charcoal in the sediments is rarely reported. The fossil charcoal was identified based on optical microscope, Scanning Electron Microscope and Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometer (Py-GC-MS). This study indicates that charcoal is derived from burning of plants caused by forest fire during the Maastrichtian (Chron 30N).

Keywords

Deccan Volcanism, Fossil Charcoal, Maastrichtian, Malwa Group, Palaeofire.
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  • Record of Charcoal from Early Maastrichtian Intertrappean Lake Sediments of Bagh Valley of Madhya Pradesh:Palaeofire Proxy

Abstract Views: 364  |  PDF Views: 165

Authors

Dhananjay M. Mohabey
Department of Geology, RTM Nagpur University, Nagpur 440 001, India
Bandana Samant
Department of Geology, RTM Nagpur University, Nagpur 440 001, India
Deepesh Kumar
Department of Geology, RTM Nagpur University, Nagpur 440 001, India
Anup Dhobale
Department of Geology, RTM Nagpur University, Nagpur 440 001, India
Arka Rudra
Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, Mumbai 400 076, India
Suryendu Dutta
Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, Mumbai 400 076, India

Abstract


Presence of charcoal in intertrappean lake sediments associated with the Malwa Group of the Deccan trap, India is recorded. The finding provides the first evidence of palaeofire in the Indian late Cretaceous. Though previous studies have shown the presence of carbonaceous clays and coal bands in the Deccan volcanic associated sediments, the presence of fossil charcoal in the sediments is rarely reported. The fossil charcoal was identified based on optical microscope, Scanning Electron Microscope and Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometer (Py-GC-MS). This study indicates that charcoal is derived from burning of plants caused by forest fire during the Maastrichtian (Chron 30N).

Keywords


Deccan Volcanism, Fossil Charcoal, Maastrichtian, Malwa Group, Palaeofire.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv114%2Fi07%2F1540-1544