1994-95 - Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany

BSIP
madhensis and Kie/meyerapollenites eocenicus. Many palynotaxa recorded from Palana
lignite, Banner Sandstone and Akli lignite from Rajasthan are present in Kapurdi and
Jalipa assemblages which indicate a Palaeocene-Eocene age.
Most of the palynotaxa from studied well sections are related with tropical-subtropical
families, viz., Schizaeaceae, Arecaceae, Oleaceae, Caesalpiniaceae, Bombacaceae,
Rubiaeeae and Guttiferae and indicate the presence of low-land, (j'csh-water swamp, water
edge and coastal elements in the assemblage.
S.K.M. Tripathi
Programme 3.4
Neogene plant megafossils
of West Coast
Objective
To study morphoLaxonomy 0/ plant mef'a/ossils;
palaeo/loristics, palaeoecology and palae0f'eography
Sixty woods from Kerala Coast were sectiooed and studicd. Most of the woods
were found to be duplicates of already known genera, such as Anisoptera, Cassia, Cynometra,
Diospyros, Dryobalanops, Gonystylus, etc. One Cynometra type of wood with predominantly
uniseriate rays has also been identified. This study indicates that almost similar
climatic conditions prevailed in Kera!a since Miocene.
Rashmi Srivastava
Programme 3.5
Objective
Palynological investigation of the Tertiary sediments of
Kerala Basin with reference to their hiostratigraphy,
palaeoecology and age
To study morphotaxonomy 0/ spore-pol/en j;-om tile measured
sections 0/ Quilon and Warkalli beds
To establish palynostratigraphic
zonation
To determine their correlative value
To determine the palaeoclimate and eIlvironmenL 0/ deposition
prevailing at the time o/sedimentation
Morphotaxonomie study and identification of spore-pollen taxa recovered from
Kundra clay mine sediments have been completed. The palynoflora consisls of 30 geoera
and 42 species belonging to pteridophytic spores and angiospermous pollen. The latter
register dominance over the former. Ecological analysis ofthe assemblage identifies several
palaeoassociations of low-land, fi'esh water swamp and water edge, sandy beach and backmangrove
vegetation. The palynological assemblage depicts a wet semi-evergreen type of
vegetation which had wanl1 and humid U'opicalclimate willi heavy precipitation. The brackish
water environment of deposition is indicated by back-mangrove elements and dinoflagellate
cysts. Compruison of this assemblage willi the known Indian Tertiary palynoassemblages
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