Comprehensive Record of Megafossils from the Rajmahal Basin, Jharkhand, India

Abstract

The study provides the first comprehensive record of the plant megafossils mainly Glossopteris flora from the Barakar Formation, Rajmahal Open Cast Mine, Rajmahal Basin, Jharkhand. The assemblage is composed of pteridophytes and gymnosperms. The pteridophytes comprise Equisetalean axes (order Equisetales), whereas, gymnosperms include nine species of Glossopteris including Glossopteris communis, G. damudica, G. gigas, G. indica, G. lanceolatus, G. longicaulis, G. oldhamii, G. taenioides, G. tenuifolia along with Vertebraria indica and Noeggerathiopsis hislopi. The present investigation adds to the knowledge of the Glossopteris flora of India, especially that of the Rajmahal Basin from where the plant fossil records are sporadic. The area is a treasure for palaeobotanical studies as evinced by different fossil localities. However, the localities are degraded by mining activities performed by private companies and hence systematic investigation for such vegetation is vital to create a palaeobotanical database before their complete degradation. The floral assemblage compares with earlier known assemblages, recorded from the Barakar Formation of other Lower Gondwana basins of peninsular India.