The Lower Permian coal seams from Singrauli coalfield (M.P.), India: petrochemical nature, rank, age and sedimentation

Biopetrographic and chemical investigations carried out on the Lower Permian (Barakar Formation) coal seams encountered in two bore-holes (NCSM-3 and CMSA-111) from the Singrauli coalfield, Son Valley, reveal that they are, in general, rich in inertinite and mineral matter towards the eastern part. Whereas, towards the western part they are rich in vitrinite with subordinate amounts of inertinite and mineral matter. The Turra and Purewa Top seams, in the eastern part, consist chiefly of mixed and fusic coal types and the Turra and Purewa Merged seams, in the western part of the basin, are characterized dominantly by vitric and mixed coal types. The basin of deposition was shallower in its major part but deepened towards west. Consequently frequent oxic fluctuations are most common in the coal seams of the eastern part.The rank of these coal seams ranges between subbituminous-A to high-volatile bituminous-C stages. They show normal increase in rank with depth. The coal seams in the western part of the area are higher in rank than their counterparts in the east. The Purewa Bottom seam (NCSM-3) is petro-palynologically correlatable with the Turra seam (CMSA-111) of the western part.It has been presumed that Glossopteridophyta (a complex group of gymnospermous plants), arthrophytes and ferns were the vegetal source for the formation of Barakar coal seams. These plants during the Early Permian grew as thick forests along river valleys and as upland and subaquatic vegetation, and experienced a warm, humid and windy temperate climate. The coal seams were presumably deposited in backwater and lacustrine swamps in fluvial environment from hypoauchthonous source material.An attempt has been made to explain reasons for the high incidence of mineral matter and its apparent relationship with inertinite content in the coal seams while also discussing the depositional history.