On the Origin of Bole Beds in Deccan Traps

The origin of red boles occurring between lava flows has been a subject of controversy though widely believed that it is a product of weathering of basalts and the term 'bole' meaning fossil laterite. A red to brown clay section of 7 .25 m thickness, sampled at every meter interval inclusive of the lower part of the overlying flow and the upper part of the underlying flow showed such marked physical and chemical changes which do not confirm to a weathered zone. This section forms a sample of the inumerabJe sections at flow contacts observed in parts of Akola, Nanded, Parbhani, Nagpur and Amaravati Districtcs in Deccan Traps during systematic geological mapping.