Record of Lower Gondwana Megafloral Assemblage from the Nand Coalfield, Wardha Basin, Nagpur District, Maharashtra

A rich collection of Lower Gondwana mega-Plant fossils have been recorded from the outcrops exposed along the Kharkhara Nala section in Nand coalfield, Nagpur District, Maharashtra, mapped as Lameta Formation. The Lower Gondwana rocks are deposited mainly in Nagpur, Chandrapur and Yeotmal Districts of Maharashtra. Palaeobotanical investigations (megafloral and xylotomical) so far known from Wardha Valley are mostly confined to Barakar and Kamthi Formations. Megafloral assemblage very similar to assemblage of Karharbari Formation has been recovered for the first time from the Lower Gondwana beds exposed in the Nand coalfield. The plant assemblage consists of two species of Gangamopteris, one species each of the genera Buriadia, Noeggerathiopsis and Allatocarpus along with the genus Glossopteris represented by seven species. The conifer genus Buriadia dominates the flora (17 72%) followed by Glossopteris communis (16 46%). The sediments were also investigated for the purpose of palynology but no pollen and spore types could be recovered. An Early Permian age has been assigned on the basis of overall assemblage.