Early Triassic palynomorphs from Manuguru area of Godavari graben,Andhra Pradesh

High fluoride content in the groundwater is reported from parts of the Gad River Basin, Sindhudurg district, coastal Maharashtra, India. The fluoride content of up to 5 mg/l has been found in the groundwater in laterite, basalt and the Precambrian basement (gneiss) aquifers in the region. The presence of high fluoride in groundwater well above the permissible levels for consumption poses a serious health threat to the rural populace in the region. The presence of tourmaline bearing pegmatites in the Precambrian basement is considered as a potential fluorine source. Deep circulation of fluoride rich groundwater between the latetritised basalts and the underlying crystalline basement could be responsible for the occurrence of fluoride in both the shallow and deeper aquifers of the region.     

Permian palynostratigraphy and palaeoclimate of Lingala–Koyagudem coalbelt,Godavari Graben,Andhra Pradesh,India

Godavari Graben, one of the biggest basins among several Gondwana basins of India, holds a unique position not only because of its geographical location in South India, but also due to the presence of almost complete succession from Permian to Cretaceous sediments. The Graben is traversed by many small faults due to which the dating and correlation of coal bearing horizons is difficult in this area. As palynology is one of the most reliable parameter for dating, correlation and characterization of continental deposits, palynological studies have been carried out in order to date and correlate the coal bearing horizons of Gundala, Mamakannu and Kachinapalli areas from Lingala–Koyagudem coalbelt of Godavari Graben.The distributional pattern of various palynotaxa has suggested the occurrence of eight distinct palynozones in five borecores of Gundala (MLG-23, MLG-24, and MLG-28), Mamakannu (MMK-19) and Kachinapalli (MGK-6) areas. These palynozones are comparable to Talchir, Lower Karharbari, Upper Karharbari, Barakar and Raniganj palynoflora of Indian Lower Gondwana. Palynozone-1 is equivalent to Parasaccites Assemblage of Talchir Palynoflora; Palynozone-2 is correlatable with Callumispora + Parasaccites Assemblage of Lower Karharbari palynoflora; Palynozone-3 corresponds well with Parasaccites + Scheuringipollenites Assemblage of Upper Karharbari palynoflora; Palynozone-4 is comparable to Scheuringipollenites Assemblage of Barakar palynoflora; Palynozone-5 is correlatable with Faunipollenites + Striatopodocarpites Assemblage of Raniganj palynoflora; Palynozone-6 is comparable with Striasulcites Assemblage of Raniganj palynoflora; Palynozone-7 shows its equivalence with Parasaccites Assemblage of Raniganj palynoflora and Palynozone-8 corresponds well with the Crescentipollenites Assemblage of Raniganj palynoflora. On the basis of palynofloral evidences, it has been suggested that palaeoclimate during Palynozone 1–3 was cool but humidity was more in Palynozone-3 in comparison to Palynozone-2. Warmer phase started during Palynozone-4 with thick coal deposits, while Palynozones 5–8 representing Raniganj palynoflora indicate warm climate with very high humidity.     

Upper carboniferous conodont zones of Russia and their global correlation

The last decade has been marked by significant progress in the study of the stratigraphic ranges of the conodonts characteristic of the Kasimovian and Gzhelian stages in shallow-water sediments of the type sections in the Moscow Basin and the deeper facies of the South Urals. This paper discusses the history of studies of the Upper Carboniferous conodont zonation in Russia and abroad, and proposes a refined zonal conodont scale for the Kasimovian and Gzhelian stages, which may be included, as a standard, into the general Carboniferous scale of Russia. In this scale, the Kasimovian and Gzhelian stages correspond respectively to six (subexcelsus, makhlinae, sagittalis, cancellosus, toretzianus, firmus) and five (simulator, vitali, virgilicus, bellus, wabaunsensis) zones. The proposed scale works for the entire East European Platform and the Urals from the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago in the north to the Mugodzhary Mountains in the south. These regions of Russia are occupied by Upper Carboniferous marine facies. At several levels (especially in the Gzhelian Stage), the scale reliably correlates with zones of the Missourian and Virgilian stages in North America and also Dalaun and Mapingian stages in China.     

Nature of sedimentary organic matter in the lower reaches of the Godavari River basin, India

The distribution and nature of sedimentary organic matter (OM) have been examined in sediment cores collected from the lower reaches, including estuary, of the Godavari River in order to understand sedimentation patterns, sources, and diagenesis of OM. The samples were analyzed for organic carbon (Corg), total nitrogen, amino acids and hexosamines. The observed irregular trends in Corg distribution with depth indicate the unstable nature of bed sediment in the lower reaches of the river. Yet, in the lower estuarine region, regular trends in Corg distribution with depth reflect the deposition of sediment. The atomic ratio of Corg and total nitrogen (C/N; 10.5–16.1) also supported this observation. The distribution of amino acids and diagenetic indicators (β-ala+γ-aba mol.%, AA/HA and Glc-NH₂/Gal-NH₂) in individual cores revealed the post-depositional changes in the OM. In the core sediment from the lower reaches, there was no clear cut trend in amino acid content with depth. In the estuarine region, however, amino acid content was very low (50.5 and 186.5 μg g⁻¹) in the upper layers compared to that in the lower layers (558.5 and 1099.3 μg g⁻¹). Reactivity index (range 0.3–3.7) revealed that OM in the upper few centimeters, especially in the lower estuarine region, was more reactive relative to that in the deeper layers.     

The microconstituents of Godavari coals,South India

The present paper deals in detail with the coal typology, rank and correlation of some Indian coal seams. Petrological evaluation of several known coal seams reveals that there are two main seams, the King (lower) seam and Queen (upper) seam, with distinctly different characteristics. All the other seams, locally known by different names elsewhere in the field, are correlatable with either the King or Queen seams.The coals are of inferior quality because of the predominance of mixed coals types associated with dispersed mineral matter. However, some seams show characteristics which are amenable to quality improvement with suitable preparation methods. The coals appear to have been formed rapidly in a fluctuating environment (aerobic to anaerobic) under relatively cold to gradually warming conditions.     

Observed changes in extreme rain indices in semiarid and humid regions of Godavari basin,India: risks and opportunities

Natural Hazards - The present study examines the spatial and temporal changes in extreme rainfall events (EREs) across the Godavari river basin to develop adaptation strategies for vulnerable...     

Major ion geochemistry of Godavari River at Rajahmundry, India

Detailed time-series studies on the major ion geochemistry of tropical peninsular Indian rivers are lacking. In this backdrop, a small stretch of the Godavari River, globally ranking 32nd in terms of total discharge, is chosen for sampling at its mouth. The objectives are： （1） to understand the natural and anthropogenic sources controlling the major ion chemistry of the Godavari River at Rajahmundry, （2） processes controlling the temporal variations in major ions over a period of two years, （3） comparison of total dissolved solid （TDS） fluxes and weathering rates at Godavari River with other major tropical rivers. A total of 47 surface samples were collected, bimonthly, at five stations in the Godavari at Rajahmundry spaced over a distance of 6 km for a period of two years. Water samples were collected in pre-cleaned PP bottles. Parameters like temperature, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity were measured on-site. Samples collected for analysis of major ions were processed within a few hours of collection by filtering through 0.45 mm pore size millipore filters. Filtered water samples for major ions were transported to the laboratory in cleaned 250 mL PP bottles. Sodium and K were measured on a Flame Photometer, Ca and Mg on a Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer, Cl, NO3, SO4 by Ion Chromatography and SiO2 on a spectrophotometer. Chemical weathering of rocks controls the major ion chemistry of the Godavari River at its mouth as indicated by the alkaline nature of the river and dominant presence of Ca, Mg and HCO3 ions. Ca/Mg and Na/Mg ratios point its source to a mixture of lithological assemblages of basalt, granite-granodiorite,     

Subsidence of Holocene sediments in the Godavari delta, India

The present study is an attempt to estimate the rates of subsidence in the Holocene sediments of the Godavari delta along the east coast of India. Two boreholes dug at Panangipalli village in the delta revealed Early Historic culture material such as potsherds including Coarse Red ware, Red-Slipped ware, Coarse Grey ware, and Black and Red ware, between 3.5 m and 9.0 m below the surface level. This suggests that the location was a human settlement of Andhra Satavahana period which flourished in the region between 3rd century BC and 3rd century AD. The fossil shells of Anadara sp. recovered from the borehole further downward at 11.5 m below the surface are considered to represent the intertidal swampy/lagoonal environment. The age of the shells was determined through AMS ¹⁴C dating as 6400 cal a BP. The presence of about 2.5m thick intertidal swampy/lagoonal material between 9.0 m and 11.5 m depth, suggests post-depositional subsidence at an average rate of less than 1.0 mm·a⁻¹. However, a higher rate of subsidence of about 2.0 mm to 4.0 mm·a⁻¹ is estimated for the upper 9.0 m thick floodplain sediment unit which embeds the Early Historic culture remains. The increased rates of subsidence during the last two millennia when compared to the earlier period in this part of the Godavari delta could be due to anthropogenic activity of deforestation and agriculture leading to accelerated soil erosion in the catchment and increased sedimentation in the delta.     

Velocity of ground water percolation at Indaram, Godavari sub-basin, India

We present values of velocity of ground water percolation (Vg) over large depth intervals, varying from shallow to deeper depths in Indaram area of Godavari sub-basin. The velocities have been estimated using available measured geothermal data. Sub-surface temperatures were measured in seven boreholes. Terrestrial heat flow values are calculated using temperature data and measured values of thermal conductivity of core samples. The results show that Vg is ～3.4 ×10^?7 cm /sec in the top layers (70–150 m) and decreases to ～0.04×10^?7 cm/sec in the deeper levels around 350 m depth and becomes negligibly small thereafter, thereby, indicating that the overall permeability of the sub-surface layers, due to the occurrence of successions of permeable, semi-permeable layers gets reduced to more or less zero at depths around 350 m. The value of Thermal Peclet Number, which is the ratio of the heat transfer through convection to that through conduction, naturally becomes negligible around this depth in the area. The observed consistency of the magnitude of heat flow through various deep sections is a clear indicator that water percolation is practically reduced to zero at depths around 320–400 m and that conduction is the dominant mechanism of heat transfer below the inferred depth section, while the upper layers are dominated by recharge at various depths by near surface water from streams at Indaram.     

Morphostratigraphy and palaeoclimate appraisal of the Leh valley,Ladakh Himalayas,India

In the present paper we study morphology, occurrence and mutual interrelationship of erosional (amphitheaters) and depositional landforms belonging to glacial (moraines), fluvio-glacial (glacial out wash), mass wasting (alluvial fans), aeolian (obstacle dune and sand sheets) and lacustrine (palaeo-lake sediments) processes within the Leh valley. These landforms are the geomorphic expression of past deglaciation grouped into five Formative Stages of Landform (FSL 1 to FSL 5) development in the Leh valley. The broad age bracket for the formative stages are based on the empirical relationship of the landforms, available chronology and their correlation with comparable climate phases. The retreat of glaciers in the Leh valley, along the southern slopes of Ladakh hill range and their retention over the northern slopes and Karakoram is further explained.     

敦化盆地上侏罗统-上新统地层划分对比讨论

利用野外资料、地震资料、煤田钻孔资料以及古生物资料,对松辽盆地外围探区敦化盆地的代表性地层划分方案进行了梳理,通过敦化盆地与周缘盆地之间的对比和分析,得出下列认识:(1)明确了珲春组的时代为始新世—渐新世;(2)指出白垩系上统龙井组地层在敦化盆地内可能是不存在的;(3)将原帽儿山组上段和下段分别划归泉水村组和长财组;(4)认为大砬子组、泉水村组、长财组和屯田营组在敦化盆地内是存在的,并通过盆间岩性地层和古生物地层对比指出大砬子组的时代可能为早白垩世阿普特期(Aptian)—阿尔布期(Albian),长财组时代可能为早白垩世贝利阿斯期—阿普特期;(5)对敦化盆地内几个地方地层名称的使用进行了修正;(6)建立了敦化盆地内目前可供参考使用的地层序列。     

Geochemical and isotope hydrological characterisation of geothermal resources at Godavari valley,India

Thermal waters at the Godavari valley geothermal field are located in the Khammam district of the Telangana state, India. The study area consists of several thermal water manifestations having temperature in the range 36–76 °C scattered over an area of ~35 km². The thermal waters are Na–HCO₃ type with moderate silica and TDS concentrations. In the present study, detailed geochemical (major and trace elements) and isotope hydrological investigations are carried out to understand the hydrogeochemical evolution of these thermal waters. Correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) are performed to classify the thermal waters and to identify the different geochemical processes controlling the thermal water geochemistry. From correlation matrix, it is seen that TDS and EC of the thermal springs are mainly controlled by HCO₃ and Na ions. In PCA, thermal waters are grouped into two distinct clusters. One cluster represents thermal waters from deeper aquifer and other one from shallow aquifer. Lithium and boron concentrations are found to be similar followed by rubidium and caesium concentrations. Different ternary plots reveal rock–water interaction to be the dominant mechanism for controlling trace element concentrations. Stable isotopes (δ¹⁸O, δ²H) data indicate the meteoric origin of the thermal waters with no appreciable oxygen-18 shift. The low tritium values of the samples originating from deeper aquifer reveal the long residence time (>50 years) of the recharging waters. XRD results of the drill core samples show that quartz constitutes the major mineral phase, whereas kaolinite, dolomite, microcline, calcite, mica, etc. are present as minor constituents. Quartz geothermometer suggests a reservoir temperature of 100 ± 20 °C which is in good agreement with the values obtained from K–Mg and Mg-corrected K–Mg–Ca geothermometers.     

Deglaciation and palaeoclimate of the Andfjord-Vågsfjord area, North Norway

This paper reviews the deglaciation history and palaeoclimate from 22 to 9.5 ¹⁴Cka BP in the Andfjord-Vagsfjord area. Eight main glacial events are recorded: The Egga-I (>22 ¹⁴Cka BP), the Bjerka, the Egga-II (>14.6 ¹⁴Cka BP), the Flesen (14.5 ¹⁴Cka BP), the D (13.8–13.2 ¹⁴Cka BP), the Skarpnes (12.2 ¹⁴Cka BP), the Tromsø–Lyngen (10.7–10.3 ¹⁴C ka BP) and the Stordal (10.0–9.5 ¹⁴Cka BP). Onset of the final deglaciation occurred about 14.6 ¹⁴Cka BP. Most of the western part of the Fennoscandian and Barents Sea Ice Sheets receded from the outer continental shelf 15–14 ¹⁴Cka BP. The delivery and melting of icebergs at this time to the Norwegian-Greenland Sea resulted in a low oxygen isotope event recorded in a number of cores in the region. Atlantic water intruded the area 13.2 ¹⁴Cka BP, and an atmospheric warming commenced 12.9/12.8 ¹⁴Cka BP. A marked glacial recession occurred before the Skarpnes event. During Allerød time, the glaciers retreated to the fjord heads or even farther inland. The Fennoscandian outlet glaciers readvanced (locally more than 40 km), reached their Younger Dryas outer limit after 10.7 ¹⁴Cka BP and retreated from this position before about 10.3 ¹⁴Cka BP.     

Provenance, tectonics and palaeoclimate of Proterozoic Chandarpur sandstones, Chattisgarh basin: A petrographic view

Sandstones of early Neoproterozoic Chandarpur Group, Chattisgarh Supergroup, central India display progressive change towards greater textural and mineralogical maturity from base to top of the succession. The clay-silt matrix decreases, sorting of sand grains improves, frequency of rounded grains increases, monocrystalline quartz content increases with concomitant decrease in polycrystalline quartz, feldspar and rock fragments. The trend of variations in different mineralogical and textural attributes, however, exhibits inflections at different stratigraphic levels. The sandstones of the basal Lohardih Formation are alluvial fan deposits, characterized by high matrix and feldspar content, iron-oxide impregnated highly angular grains and poor sorting. Petrographic properties collectively indicate that the sandstones were derived from a weathered granitic crust under a humid climatic condition. Abundance of well rounded grains within the alluvial fan and overlying braided fluvial deposit indicates prolonged wind action during episodes of high aridity. The shallow marine deposit overlying the fluvial deposits in the upper part of the Lohardih Formation exhibits bed-to-bed variation in the frequency of angular grains, feldspar content and overall maturity suggesting environmentally controlled segregation of sediments. The abrupt appearance of coarse-grained immature sandstones with concomitant reappearance of iron-oxide impregnated/altered feldspar grains in the upper part of the shelf deposits of the Chaporadih Formation point to a phase of tectonic uplift that possibly triggered a regression. Continued regression and peneplanation heralded the deposition of supermature medium-grained purple quartzarenite of the upper shoreface Kansapathar Formation in the uppermost part of the Chandarpur succession under a hot desertic climatic condition. The provenance analysis revealed that the Chandarpur clastics were derived from granites and granite-gneisses of a continental block tectonic provenance. Petrographic studies further indicate that high grade metamorphic rocks did not make any perceptible contribution to the Chandarpur system. The Eastern Ghats Granulite Belt apparently did not emerge till the early Neoproterozoic.     

Estimation of petrophysical parameters using seismic inversion and neural network modeling in Upper Assam basin,India

Estimation of petrophysical parameters is an important issue of any reservoirs. Porosity, volume of shale and water saturation has been evaluated for reservoirs of Upper Assam basin, located in northeastern India from well log and seismic data. Absolute acoustic impedance (AAI) and relative acoustic impedance (RAI) are generated from model based inversion of 2-D post-stack seismic data. The top of geological formation, sand reservoirs, shale layers and discontinuities at faults are detected in RAI section under the study area. Tipam Sandstone (TS) and Barail Arenaceous Sandstone (BAS) are the main reservoirs, delineated from the logs of available wells and RAI section. Porosity section is obtained using porosity wavelet and porosity reflectivity from post-stack seismic data. Two multilayered feed forward neural network (MLFN) models are created with inputs: AAI, porosity, density and shear impedance and outputs: volume of shale and water saturation with single hidden layer. The estimated average porosity in TS and BAS reservoir varies from 30% to 36% and 18% to 30% respectively. The volume of shale and water saturation ranges from 10% to 30% and 20% to 60% in TS reservoir and 28% to 30% and 23% to 55% in BAS reservoir respectively.     

Neoproterozoic siliciclastic sedimentation around Kampa-Tenpa area,Pranhita Godavari Graben (PGG), Central India: Facies analysis,petrography and depositional environment

The Pranhita-Godavari Graben (PGG) represents a major lineament in south Indian Peninsular cratonic province, which preserves a thick column of sediments. In geological time scale, these sedimentary units correspond to Mesoproterozoic to Mesozoic period. The Mesoproterozoic sedimentation has been confined mainly to southern part of the PGG, while Neoproterozoic sediments are exposed at northern tip of the graben. In the area of investigation siliciclastic sedimentation units are exposed, wherein five major lithofacies have been marked out. These lithofacies are i) breccia (Br), ii) large scale trough cross-bedded sandstone (Ls), iii) small-scale trough cross-bedded sandstone (Sss), iv) horizontal bedded sandstone (Hs) and v) ripple laminated sandstone (Rs). The amalgamation of these lithofacies strongly divulges that the lower part of the succession was deposited in braided-streams, whereas the upper part was deposited in erg environment. The unimodal paleocurrent is evident in lower part of the succession while bimodal paleocurrent is noticed from sandstones at upper part of the succession. In general, the sandstones exhibit northwesterly paleocurrent direction. The petrographic studies point out that the sandstones are arenites and were deposited in interior type of continental block provenance under semi-arid to hot humid palaeoclimate. The high percentage of floating grains and the low percentage of interpenetrative contacts as well as the low value of contact index for these sandstones divulge that the grains did not suffer much compaction thereby pointing to shallow burial. The sub-angular zircon and tourmaline suggest that these minerals have travelled short distance from the source rocks. The high percentage of garnet and presence of epidote, staurolite, sillimanite, zoisite, amphibole and kyanite indicate that the sediments were derived from the nearby metamorphic source rocks.     

鄂尔多斯盆地兴县地区煤层气地球化学特征及成因

煤层气化学组分、甲烷碳氢同位素特征对煤层气成因、分布规律和煤层气资源评价具有重要意义。为了查明河东煤田北部兴县地区山西组、太原组煤层甲烷及二氧化碳成因,采集研究区煤层气井解吸气样,通过组分分析、CH₄碳氢同位素和CO₂碳同位素测试,根据煤层气成因图版,分析了煤层气稳定同位素的地质影响因素,揭示了研究区煤层气成因。结果表明,区内主力煤层的甲烷碳同位素存在明显差异：8煤甲烷δ¹³C₁值介于-55.1‰~-44.2‰,平均为-49.2‰;13煤δ¹³C₁值介于-65.7‰~-55.7‰,平均为-59.8‰。同一煤层内甲烷碳同位素呈现出随煤层埋深增加而变重、随水动力条件增强变轻的特点;甲烷碳同位素偏轻,重烃组分偏少,表明受到一定因素或次生作用的影响。8煤以热成因气为主,13煤以次生生物成因气为主。研究区8煤δ¹³C （CO₂）介于-17.3‰~-4.8‰,13煤δ¹³C （CO₂）介于-26.3‰~-6.9‰,二氧化碳为煤热演化初期或最近一次煤层抬升再沉降后煤中有机质热裂解产生。研究成果为明确该区煤层气勘探开发方向提供了理论依据。     

Geothermal investigations in the Upper Vindhyan sedimentary rocks of Shivpuri area,central India

Heat flow has been determined by combining temperature measurements in 7 boreholes with thermal conductivity measurements in the Upper Vindhyan sedimentary rocks of Shivpuri area, central India. The boreholes are distributed at 5 sites within an area of 15 × 10 km²; their depths range from 174 to 268 m. Geothermal gradients estimated from borehole temperature profiles vary from 8.0–12.7 mK m⁻¹ in the sandstone-rich formations to 25.5–27.5 mK m⁻¹ in the shale-rich formations, consistent with the contrast in thermal conductivities of the two rock types. Heat flow in the area ranges between 45 and 61 mW m⁻², with a mean of 52±6 mW m⁻². The heat flow values are similar to the >50 mW m⁻² heat flow observed in other parts of the northern Indian shield. The heat flow determinations represent the steady-state heat flow because, the thermal transients associated with the initial rifting, convergence and sedimentation in the basin as well as the more recent Deccan volcanism that affected the region to the south of the basin would have decayed, and therefore, the heat flow is in equilibrium with the radiogenic heat production of the crust and the heat flow from the mantle. The present study reports the heat flow measurements from the western part of the Vindhyan basin and provides heat flow information for the Bundhelkhand craton for the first time. Radioelement (Th, U and K) abundances have been measured both in the sedimentary rocks exposed in the area as well as in the underlying basement granite-gneiss of Bundelkhand massif exposed in the adjacent area. Radioactive heat production, estimated from those abundances, indicate mean values of 0.3 μW m⁻³ for sandstone with inter-bands of shale and siltstone, 0.25 μW m⁻³ for sandstone with inter-bands siltstone, 0.6 μW m⁻³ for quartzose sandstone, and 2.7 μW m⁻³ for the basement granitoids. With a total sedimentary thickness not exceeding a few hundred metres in the area, the heat production of the sedimentary cover would be insignificant. The radioactive heat contribution from the basement granitoids in the upper crust is expected to be large, and together with the heat flow component from the mantle, would control the crustal thermal structure in the region.