Palynostratigraphy of coal deposits in Jabalpur stage, Upper Gondwana, India

Abstract

The quantitative and qualitative analyses of the dispersed miospores in the coal and coaly shales of the Jabalpur Stage, Jabalpur Series, Madhya Pradesh, India have been given. The miofloral assemblage consists of 58 spore genera and 103 species. It is characterized by the prominence of Araucariacites associated with the common occurrence of Catlialasporites and Cycadopites. The cryptogamic components are poor in occurrence. A comparison of the mioflora with the Indian and extra-Indian Upper Gondwana miofloras reveals that the ]abalpur Stage mioftora on one hand, closely resemhles with the l~ajmahal Hills mioflora (Basko and Sakrigalighat) but for the higher quantities of the cryptogamic spores and lesser frequency of Callialasporites, Cycadopites and Classopollis, and on the other hand it also resembles the Microflora IIa of Upper ]urassic age from W. Australia (Balme, 1957), the Upper Jurassic mioflora from Upper Katrol Shales of Kutch and the mioflora from Vemavaram shales. In view of the miofloristic similarity of the mioflora from ] abalpur Stage with' those from palaeontoJogically dated Upper Jurassic strata in India as well as Australia, the former are conClusively dated as Upper Jurassic.