Record of Permian Tethyan transgression in eastern India: A reappraisal of the Barren Measures Formation, West Bokaro Coalfield

2017

Geological Journal

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Post‐glacial Permian coal‐bearing sedimentary successions are traditionally interpreted as fluvially deposited within the Gondwanaland continental set‐up throughout the globe. Recent attempts to reinterpret such successions in terms of marine flooding events, mainly based on sedimentological and ichnological attributes, raised doubt on the existing palaeogeographic model of the Late Palaeozoic Gondwanaland. Reassessing these sedimentary successions using other proxies, like petrographic and geochemical properties, may provide more reliable clues to improve the present understanding. In this paper, petrographic and geochemical analysis of sandstones, sandstone–mudstone heteroliths, and mudstones of the early Permian Barakar Formation of Lower Gondwana Supergroup, Raniganj coal Basin, India, is presented to understand the provenance, palaeoweathering pattern and palaeodepositional conditions. Petrographically, the sandstones are arkosic to sub‐arkosic in nature, with abundant unstable components and heavy minerals. Clay minerals in the matrix and the mudstones are dominated by kaolinite, illite‐smectite with authigenic glauconite, indicating a marine diagenetic realm. Mineralogical assemblage attests to sedimentation in craton interior passive margin conditions. Geochemically, the lithounits show large variations in major element and trace element (including rare earth element) concentrations. Chemical index of alteration and A–CN–K ternary plot indicate moderate to strong chemical weathering, leading to deposition of compositionally immature sediments close to their source without much recycling. Ratios of major elements (e.g., MgO, K2O, Fe2O3, Al2O3, and SiO2) signify a continental–marine transitional depositional environment developed in a stable passive margin setting under gradually warming up climatic conditions. Trace element ratios manifest an estuarine depositional setting during Barakar sedimentation, comparable with modern major river mouth estuaries. Thus, this paper provides unequivocal evidence of significant marine influence during sedimentation in the Lower Gondwana basins in India, particularly during the Permian time, and signifies the importance of re‐examining the so called “continental fluvial” coal‐bearing deposits as considerably marine‐influenced. The interpretations provide important clues in understanding and reconstructing the Permian Lower Gondwana palaeogeography in eastern peninsular India.

Section: Implications On Palaeogeographymentioning

confidence: 99%

Petrography and geochemistry of sandstone–mudstone from Barakar Formation (early Permian), Raniganj Basin, India: Implications for provenance, weathering and marine depositional conditions during Lower Gondwana sedimentation

Bhattacharjee

Ghosh²,

2017

Geological Journal

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“…On the basis of prevalent facies architecture at different stratigraphic levels, a fluvial depositional system is envisaged at the lower part of the succession, followed by a fluviomarine interactive system in the upper part of the succession, with increasing influence of marine processes on fluvial systems [15][16][17] . Signatures of marine influences on fluvial processes attest to a mixed, deltaic to estuarine depositional system during the upper Barakar sedimentation [16][17][18] .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The sandstone-mudstone heterolithic facies with muddraped foresets and development of flaser bedding indicate a low-energy sand-mud depositing environment 16,18 . Bi-directional cross-strata attest to deposition under mutually opposite tidal current.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bi-directional cross-strata attest to deposition under mutually opposite tidal current. Stacking of such tidal sediments suggests the influence of tidal currents of varied intensities 18 . Sand-dominated and mud-dominated lithounits within such stacked facies sequences indicate deposition in the distributory channels and the tidal flats respectively 16,18 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lower Barakar succession is characterized by braided fluvial depositional system, followed by development of a meandering channel system with rapid migration of the channels and lateral accretion/coalescing of bars during upper Barakar sedimentation 11,[15][16][17] . Signatures of tide and wave influences on the channel-fill sediments during upper Barakar sedimentation attest to downcurrent debouching of these channels into a transgressive sea, which was adjacent to the peninsular Gondwanaland during the early Permian [16][17][18]26 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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<I>Glossifungites</I> Ichnofabric Signifying Crustacean Colonization in Early Permian Barakar Formation, Talchir Coal Basin, India

Banerjee²,

Bandyopadhyay³

2016

Current Science

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Early Permian Barakar Formation (Gondwana Supergroup) in peninsular India was earlier interpreted as deposited in braided-meandering fluvial system. Intense burrowing by decapod crustaceans of marginal marine affinity led to Thalassinoides-Ophiomorpha-Rhizocorallium ichnoassemblage, belonging to Glossifungites ichnofacies, within the sandstone-mudstone heterolithic facies near the upper part of the Barakar sedimentary succession, Gouduni River, Talchir coal basin, Odisha, India. An early cementation of the sandstone-mudstone interbeds under changed salinity condition is attributed to mixing of fluvial channels with tide-wave influenced marine depositional systems. This resulted in a semi-consolidated firmground, favouring incipient crustacean colonization during prolonged phases of marine incursion within a fluvialmarine interactive estuarine system during the early Permian in eastern peninsular India.

Implications of Late Palaeozoic postglacial marine transgressive‐regressive (T‐R) cycles recorded in the Talchir Formation, Son Valley Basin, peninsular India: A sequence stratigraphic paradigm

Varshney

2022

Geological Journal

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The signature of Late palaeozoic glaciation, a pan‐Gondwanaland palaeoclimatic event, is recorded in the Talchir Formation (Late Carboniferous to Early Permian), the basal‐most litho‐unit within the Gondwana Supergroup (Late Carboniferous–Early Cretaceous) in peninsular India. About 200 m thick sedimentary succession of the Talchir Formation, exposed in the Hasdeo River section in the Son Valley Basin, Central India, manifests signatures of deposition by melting of glaciers near to the ice‐grounding line. Evidence of glacial influences is prevalent in the lower‐middle part of the succession and represented by glacial tillites with faceted/striated gravels and bullet‐shaped clasts, dropstones and ice‐rafted debris (IRD), associated with various sediment gravity flow deposits. In the middle‐upper part of the succession, records of post‐glacial marine incursions are preserved as thick sandstone and sandstone‐mudstone heteroliths of a shallow marine shore‐shelf depositional regime. These are characterized by abundant tidal and wave signatures, with marine bivalve fossils and trace fossils of marine invertebrates. The upward decrease in size and abundance of the IRDs indicates a gradual decrease in glacial influences, with landward incursion of the marine depositional systems over the proglacial systems. Multiple stacked progradational and retrogradational stratal stacking patterns formed by alternating glacigenic and marginal marine dominated processes signify multiple transgressive‐regressive (T‐R) cycles, manifesting repeated advancements and retreats of the glacier, associated with sea level rise and marine incursions into the land. The top part of the succession, characterized by fine‐grained siltstone/mudstone without any IRD, suggests sedimentation at a relatively deeper part of the basin, indicating the strong influence of the eustatic rise caused by significant melting of the retreating ice sheet. Stacked T‐R cycles bounded by distinct facies architecture define multiple system tracts confined within three major deglaciation sequences within the studied Talchir Formation, suggesting multiple phases of advance‐retreats of the ice sheet and significant marine onlaps within the continental Gondwanaland under the Late Palaeozoic icehouse‐greenhouse climatic change.