Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences
Title : | Integrated sedimentological, isotopic and magnetostratigraphic approach to study the early Palaeogene lignite successions of Kutch basin, western India: Implications to age, paleoclimate and environment of deposition |
Area of research : | Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences |
Principal Investigator : | Ms. Debrati Nag, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Maharashtra |
Timeline Start Year : | 2022 |
Timeline End Year : | 2024 |
Contact info : | debarati_nag@yahoo.co.in |
Equipments : | |
Details
Executive Summary : | The early Palaeogene time span, which includes climatic and biotic global events, is crucial in understanding climate change. Despite extensive studies in the Kutch basin, gaps remain in understanding palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental changes within a precise age framework. The western Indian basins are geologically significant due to their preservation of near complete Palaeogene deposits with rich and diversified biota. The global climate during the early Palaeogene was the warmest of the Cenozoic era, with several marine transgressions and regressions. These basins are crucial for addressing scientific problems such as the endemic nature of Indian palaeobiota, the timing of Indo-Asia biota exchange, reconstructing sea level fluctuations, identifying hyperthermal events, and deciphering palaeoclimate conditions. Precision timelines of Palaeogene sequences are needed for proper paleogeographic, paleobiogeographic, and palaeoclimatic interpretations. Attempts have been made to develop stratigraphic frameworks based on microfossils and faunal assemblages, but lacuna still exist in terms of precise temporal frameworks due to revisions in taxonomy, stratigraphic ranges of fossil assemblages, biotically barren units, long-ranging palynomorphs, and age assignment based on mammalian fauna. The present research aims to conduct sedimentary facies analysis with magnetostratigraphy to provide precise age control to the palaeodepositional environment driven by sea level fluctuations and climatic events. The study will also re-evaluate age using a new magnetostratigraphic record correlated with geomagnetic polarity time scale (GPTS) to provide a detailed and uniquely constrained chronology. Carbon isotopic analysis will be carried out to explore hyperthermal events from early Palaeogene successions in the Kutch region. |
Organizations involved