UNIT 7

GONDWANA SUPERGROUP AND

DECCAN TRAPS

Structure_______________________________________________
7.1 Introduction 7.4 Activity
Expected Learning Outcomes 7.5 Summary
7.2 Gondwana Supergroup 7.6 Terminal Questions
Distribution 7.7 References
Classification 7.8 Further/Suggested Readings
Description of Formations 7.9 Answers
Economic Significance

7.3 Deccan Traps

Distribution

Classification

Age and Duration

Economic Significance

7.1 INTRODUCTION
The Precambrian (Archaean and Proterozoic) rocks are well developed in the peninsular India. You
have already studied some of the rock supergroups that belong to Precambrian age such as
Dharwar, Cuddaphah, Vindhyan and Delhi in Unit 4. In peninsular India, Lower to Middle Palaeozoic
rocks record is almost absent. However, Palaeozoic rocks are well developed in the extra-peninsular
or Himalayan region which you have read in Unit 5. From the Upper Carboniferous to Lower
Cretaceous, peninsular India witnessed the huge deposition of freshwater sediments in numerous
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interconnected inland basins, which are collectively known as Gondwana
Supergroup. This supergroup is famous for its coal deposits and plant fossils
wealth. At the end of Cretaceous, western part of the peninsular India
underwent numerous volcanic eruptions that resulted in the formation of the
Deccan Traps. It has been proposed that these volcanic eruptions might have
been responsible for the mass extinction at the Cretaceous/Palaeogene
boundary.
In this unit, we will discuss the geographic distribution, classification, climate
and lithology of the Gondwana Supergroup. We will also discuss the Deccan
traps and associated sediments.

Expected Learning Outcomes__________________

After studying this unit, you should be able to:
 define and classify Gondwana Supergroup;
 discuss the lithology of various formations of the supergroup;
 outline the economic significance of the supergroup;
 describe the distribution and classification of the Deccan traps; and
 explain the age and duration of the Deccan traps.

7.2 GONDWANA SUPERGROUP

Gondwana Supergroup comprises a thick sequence of fluviatile and lacustrine
sediments having a cumulative thickness of about 6 to 7 km with glacial
sediments at the base. It covers a vast tract of India, particularly prominent in
peninsular region, occupying about 50,000 km2 areas. The deposition of the
sequence began in the Upper Carboniferous and continued up to the Lower
Cretaceous. It may be noted that the lower and upper boundaries of the
supergroup are determined by marine fossil records and do not coincide with
standard chronostratigraphic system. The Gondwana sequence is largely
considered as a continental sedimentary sequence with occasional marine
incursions and deposited either in the river valley grabensor in the down-faulted
grabens (Kumar, 1988; Vaidyanadhan and Ramakrishnan, 2010). It is
dominantly composed of sandstones and shales with rich coal seams as well as
fossil remains of plants and animals.
The name“Gondwana” was given by H. B. Medlicott in 1872. It is derived from
the Gond Kingdom of the Narmada river, Madhya Pradesh, where the
supergroup was first studied by him. Later, investigations carried out in other
parts of the world such as in South America, South Africa, Australia, Antarctica
and Madagascar, which shows that these rocks are also present in these
southern continents. The Gondwanan rocks of these areas bear spectacular
similarities in terms of lithology and fossil contents. Keeping these facts in view,
Edward Suess in 1885 coined the term “Gondwanaland” to referall these
southern continents into a supercontinent, which was separated from its
northern counterpart known as “Laurasia” by then present equatorial sea called
“Tethys”.
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7.2.1 Distribution
The rocks of the Gondwana Supergroup in peninsular India mainly occur in the
four isolated patches represented by linear tracts. These tracts are Koel-
Damodar basin of West Bengal and Jharkhand, Son-Mahanadi basin of
Chhatisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, Satpura basin of Madhya Pradesh and
Pranhita-Godavari basin of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh (Fig. 7.1). In
addition, a few Gondwana outcrops also present in the eastern coastal area of
India such as Athgarh basin of Odisha, Krishna trough of Andhra Pradesh and
Palar-Cauvery troughs of Tamil Nadu. In the Himalayan region, a linear belt of
the Lower Gondwana rocks occurs along the Himalayan foot-hills Assam and
Arunachal Pradesh and also in Kashmir valley.

Fig. 7.1: Map of India showing the distribution of the Gondwana basins. (Source:
simplified after Vaidyanadhan and Ramakrishnan, 2010)

7.2.2 Classification
Classification of the Gondwana Supergroup is always a topic of debate in
Geology of India. On the basis of lithology and plant fossils, two schemes of
classification have been proposed for the rocks of the supergroup. These
schemes are:
 Two-fold classification
 Three-fold classification
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 Two-fold Classification
Two-fold classification was proposed by W. T. Blanford. He divided the
Gondwana sequence into two subdivisions namely, Lower Gondwana
Sequence and Upper Gondwana Sequence. These two sequences are
separated by a slight unconformity, which lies at the top surface of the Panchet
Formation of the Lower Triassic age. Lower Gondwana Sequence is
characterised by the dominance of Glossopteris flora whereas the Upper
Gondwana Sequence is characterised by appearance of Ptilophyllumflora. The
two-fold classification was strongly supported by C. S. Fox, R. D. Oldham, G.
Cotter, M. S. Krishnan and other workers.
 Three-fold Classification
Three-fold classification was proposed by O. Feistmantal and further it was
supported by E. Vredenburg and D. N. Wadia. This classification is primarily
based on plant fossils and the prevailing characteristic climatic conditions of the
Gondwana Supergroup. According to this classification, Gondwana Supergroup
is divided into three sequences such as Lower, Middle and Upper Gondwana,
corresponding roughly to the Permo-Carboniferous, Triassic and Jurassic, rock
systems of Europe, respectively. The Lower Gondwana Sequence is
characterised by presence of Glossopteris flora, a warm and humid climate with
numerous coal seams. The Middle Gondwana Sequence is characterised by
appearance of Dicroidium flora, a warm and dry climate and by the presence of
amphibian and repltilian fossils. The Upper Gondwana Sequence is marked by
the appearance of Ptilophyllumflora as well as a warm and humid climate
(Fig.7.2).

Fig. 7.2: Three-fold classification of the Gondwana Supergroup based on floral

relationships.
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Over the centuries, most of the workers have been following two-fold
classification of the Gondwana Supergroup and hence, the same has been
discussed here. A generalised stratigraphic classification of the Gondwana
Supergroup is given in Table 7.1.
Table 7.1: Generalised stratigraphic classification of the Gondwana
Supergroup.

Super Sequence Group Formation Age

group

Jabalpur Lower
Jabalpur Formation
Group Cretaceous

Rajmahal Lower
Rajmahal Formation
Upper Group Cretaceous
Gondwana
Kota Formation Middle Jurassic
Sequence
Mahadeva Maleri Formation Upper Triassic
Group
Pachmarhi
Gondwana Supergroup

Lower Triassic
Formation

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unconformity ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Panchet
Panchet Formation Lower Triassic
Group

Raniganj Formation Upper Permian

Lower Barren Measures

Damuda Middle Permian
Gondwana Formation
Group
Sequence Barakar Formation Lower Permian

Karharbari Formation Lower Permian

Talchir Upper
Talchir Formation
Group Carboniferous

7.2.3 Description of Formations

The Permo-Carboniferous sedimentary successions of the Gondwana
Supergroup is largely known as Lower Gondwana Sequence and the Mesozoic
Gondwana succession forms the Upper Gondwana Sequence (Fig. 7.3).
However, the Panchet Formation of the Lower Triassic age comes under the
Lower Gondwana Sequence. The Lower Gondwana groups are characterised
by the presence of Gangomopteris-Glossopteris flora and the Mesozoic Upper
Gondwana groups by containing Dicroidium-Lepidopteris flora. It has been
inferred that the Upper Carboniferous sediments of the Lower Gondwana
sequence are deposited under a glacial/cold climate, whereas coal-bearing
Permian sediments were deposited under warm and humid climate.

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Fig. 7.3: Distribution of Lower and Upper Gondwana sequences in the major
Gondwana basins of India.

During the beginning of the Upper Gondwana Sequence, sudden changes in

climate took place in the Triassic. As a result, warm and humid climate of the
Permian was replaced by warm and dry climatic conditions during the Triassic.
This warm and dry climate was considered responsible for the disappearance
of the Glossopteris flora of the Lower Gondwana. The warm and humid climatic
conditions again appeared during the Late Triassic and most of the Jurassic,
which resulted in the appearance of Ptilophyllum flora.
A generalised stratigraphic classification of the Gondwana Supergroup of India
is presented in Table 7.1. All formations mentioned in the table may not occur in
any single Gondwana basin of India. For example, Karharbari, Barakar, Barren
Measures and Raniganj formations are well developed in the Damodar valley,
where as Pachmarhi, Maleri and Kota formations are best developed in the
Mahadev Hills. In addition, it may be noted that the equivalent formation of one
group may be designated or present in other group/s. Therefore, do not get
confused while studying the various formations of the supergroup. Now lets us
discuss the various formations of the Lower and Upper Gondwana sequences.
 Lower Gondwana Sequence
The sediments of the Lower Gondwana sequences largely lie above the
Precambrian basement and well developed in the Talchir, Damuda and
Panchet groups. Now let us discuss the various formations of the Lower
Gondwana Sequence.
Talchir Formation: Talchir Formation named after the Talchir District of
Odisha. It is the lowermost formation of the Gondwana Supergroup, which
unconformably overlies the Precambrian basement. It consists of boulder beds,
khaki green shales and light green sandstones. Boulder beds form the basal
most part of the formation, which is succeeded by shales and sandstones. The

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boulder beds comprise unsorted and unstratified mixture of boulders, pebbles,
coarse sands and clays. The presence of facetted and striated boulders and
pebbles in the boulder beds are indicative of their glacial origin. Hence, boulder
beds of Talchir Formation are also known as Talchir Tillites. The sandstones
contain mineral grains of undecomposed feldspar representing very cold
climatic conditions at the time of deposition. The uppermost part of the
formation, which dominantly contains sandstones and with some shaly beds
yield some plant fossils indicating a warm climate. Carboniferous to Permian,
Upper Carboniferous and Lower Permian ages have been assigned to the
formation.
Karharbari Formation: The Talchir Formation overlain by the Damuda Group
is well exposed in the Damodar valley situated in Jharkhand and West Bengal.
The Damuda Group is divided into four formations, namely, Karharbari,
Barakar, Barren Measures and Raniganj.
Karharbari Formation is the basal part of the Damuda Group, which is well
developed in the Giridih coalfields. It consists of conglomerates, pebbly grit,
sandstones, siltstones, shales and a few bands of coal. It is about 200 m thick
and has gradational contact to the Talchir Formation. The formation is
characterised by the development of two characteristic floral elements like
Gondwanidiumvalidium and Buriadiasewardi. Gangamopteris and Glossopteris
are the dominant flora of the formation. A Lower Permian age has been
assigned to the formation.
Barakar Formation: This formation is named after the Barakar river. It is about
250 m thick, conformably overlies the Karharbari Formation and well developed
in the Jharia coalfields. It is the main store house of coal deposits in the Lower
Gondwana Sequence. Lithologically, it consists of sandstones, shales, china
clays and coal seams. In addition, at some places it is also composed of grit
and conglomerate horizons. Importantly, Barakar Formation shows a fining
upward cyclic arrangement of the lithofacies such as conglomerates, grits,
sandstones, shales and coal seams. This cyclic arrangement of lithofacies has
frequently occurred repeatedly in the formation. The china clay deposits of the
formation are found to be of economic significance. It may be noted that lower
and middle units of the formation are the main sources of coal. Interestingly,
almost one ninth of the total thickness of the formation is constituted by coal
deposits. The formation is rich in plant fossils and is characterised by the
dominance of Glossopteris, Gangamopteris, Sphenopteris, Taeniopteris,
Barakaria, Phyllotheca, Schizoneura and Sphenophyllum plant fossils. Barakar
Formation is of Lower Permian age.
Barren Measures Formation: The name of the formation indicates that it lacks
coal seams. The formation conformably overlies the Barakar Formation. It
consists of alternating units of cross-bedded sandstones and carbonaceous
shales with clay-ironstone nodules. In the Raniganj basin of the Damodar
valley, the Barren Measures Formation is known as Ironstone Shale
Formation. Here, the formation once composed of workable deposit of iron ore
particularly siderite iron. In other coalfields of the Damodar valley, it is known as
Barren Measures Formation. The formation is generally devoid of plant fossils,
but a very few plant fossils such as Cyclodendron, Glossopteris,

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Gangamopteris etc. are known from it. A Middle Permian age has been
assigned to this formation.
Raniganj Formation: This formation is well developed in the Raniganj coalfield
in the Damodar valley, where it attains a thickness of about 800 m. It consists of
sandstones, shales and coal seams. The sandstones of the Raniganj Formation
being fine-grained as compared to those of the older and underlying Barakar
Formation. Valuable coal seams are a part of the Raniganj Formation, which
mainly occur in the Raniganj coal field. The coal seams of the formation contain
high content of volatiles, but some of them have coal of superior quality.The
Raniganj Formation shows the peak zone of Glossopteris flora. The
characteristic flora of the formation includes Glossopteris, Gangamopteris,
Pecopteris, Vertebraria, Sphenopteris, Taeniopteris, Schizoneura, Phyllotheca,
etc. An Upper Permian age has been assigned to the formation.
Panchet Formation: The Panchet Formation overlies the Raniganj Formation
and contact between them is marked by a slight unconformity. The formation is
named after the Panchet Hill in Manbhum of the Raniganj basin, where the
formation is well developed and attained thickness from 500 to 600 m. The
Panchet Formation is devoid of coal seams and presents a sharp contrast in
lithology as compared to the underlying Raniganj Formation. The lower part of
the Panchet Formation consists of greenish sandstones to khaki green
siltstones and green clays. The upperpart of the formation is characterised by a
rhythmic alternation of green clays and chocolate coloured shales and clays.
The Panchet Formation is very rich in fossils and yielded the fossils of plants
and animals including both vertebrates and freshwater invertebrates. The plant
fossils are dominated by Glossopteris, Cyclopteris, Dicroidium, Schizoneura
and a few other plant fossils. The formation also yielded crustacea of the
Phylum Arthropoda (invertebrates) as well as vertebrates such as amphibians
(labyrinthodonts) and reptiles (Dicynodon and Epicampodon). The occurrences
of above-mentioned fauna and flora indicate a climate, which somewhat
resembling the present-day monsoonal climate probably having heavier and
longer spells of rainfall. The Panchet Formation is the topmost formation of the
Lower Gondwana Sequence and is of Lower Triassic age.
 Upper Gondwana Sequence
In peninsular India, the rocks of Lower and Upper Gondwana sequences are
separated by a distinct unconformity. The Lower Gondwana sequences are well
developed in the Talchir, Damuda and Panchet regions. On the other hand, the
Upper Gondwana sequences are well developed in the Mahadeva, Rajmahal
and Jabalpur areas. Now let us discuss the various formations of the Upper
Gondwana Sequence.
Pachmarhi Formation: The Pachmarhi Formation represents the basal most
part of theUpper Gondwana Sequence. It is well developed in the Pachmarhi
hills of the Satpura basin. The formation is about 750 m thick and consists of
buff and red sandstones with red clays and some associated patches of
haematitic clay and ferruginous materials. It is important to note that the
Pachmarhi Formation is completely devoid of carbonaceous matter, but the
layers of clay sometimes contain the leaf impressions are also present. The
sandstones of the formation are coarse-grained, good quality and tinted with
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various shades of red (Krishnan, 1949; Mukherjee, 1997). Hence, it is
extensively used as a building material. A Lower Triassic age has been inferred
for the formation.
Maleri Formation: The Maleri Formation overlying the Pachmarhi Formation is
about 330 m thick. The formation is named after the village of Marweli in the
Tandur as it is well developed in the Tandur coalfield of the Pranhita-Godavari
basin in Asifabad area of Telangana. Lithologically, it consists of red clayey
beds, siltstones, argillaceous sandstones and lime-pellet rocks. The rocks of
this formation are known to contain abundant remains of fishes and reptiles as
well as coprolites (fossil dung/animal dropping). In addition, some fresh water
unionids (gastropods) and large tree trunks were also known. This formation is
considered to be deposited during the Upper Triassic.
Kota Formation: It lies above the Maleri Formation in the Pranhita-Godavari
basin. It is about 600 m thick and dominantly composed of large-scale cross-
bedded sandstones, grits with red clay bands and some bands of limestone. It
also contains carbonaceous clays and a few thin seams of coal. The formation
yielded remains of plants, for example, Ptilophyllumflora, fishes, dinosaurs and
mammals. The Kota Formation is considered to be of Middle Jurassic age.
Rajmahal Formation: The Rajmahal Formation is well developed in the
Rajmahal Hills, which is located in the northeastern Jharkhand. The formation is
about 600 m thick, primarily made up of the Rajmahal volcanics (basaltic lava
flows) with intercalated sedimentary beds known as intertrappean beds.
Lithologically, intertrappean beds are made up of sandstones, siltstones,
arenaceous clays, white and grey colour baked shales, carbonaceous shales,
tuffite and chert beds and yield well preserved remains of plants. These
intertrappean beds were deposited in freshwater conditions probably in the
locally formed isolated lakes. The Rajmahal Formation lies above the Dubrajpur
Formation in the Rajmahal basin. The Dubrajpur Formation is more or less
equivalent to the Maleri formation of the Pranhita-Godavari basin. The
Rajmahal Formation is considered to be of Lower Cretaceous age. The plant
fossil-yielding intertrappean beds of the formation are informally known as
Rajmahal plant beds. These plant beds have yielded one of the richest floral
assemblages of the world. Numerous plant fossils belonging to the ferns,
cycads and conifers are known from the formation. Among them Ptilophyllum,
Pterophyllum, Dictyozamites, Taeniopteris, Williamsonia, Brachyllum,
Thinnfeldia and Cladophlebis are the most common genera of plant fossils.
Jabalpur Formation: The Jabalpur Formation is well developed in the Jabalpur
area of Madhya Pradesh. It unconformably lies above the Mahadeva Group of
Central India. It consists of massive sandstones, jasper-yielding sandy
conglomerates, white and light-coloured soft clays and carbonaceous shales
and with a few coal seams. The formation is considered to be of Lower
Cretaceous age. It yields Ptilophyllum, Pagiophyllum, Brachyphyllum,
Taeniopteris, Nilssonia, Dictyozamites, Otozamites and other plant fossils.
7.2.4 Economic Significance
Significantly, the Gondwana Supergroupis a major repository of coal deposits in
India. It is accounting for more than 98% of country’s coal resources, whereas

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remaining 2% of coal is coming from the Tertiary basins of the country. The
Lower Gondwana sequences are the main coal producing sequences of the
Gondwana Supergroup. The Karharbari, Barakar and Raniganj formations of
the Lower Gondwana sequences are main coal producing formations. Among
them, the Barakar Formation alone hosts a vast majority of coal resources of
the country. Apart from this, Gondwana sandstones are used for building and
construction purposes whereas clays are used in refractory industries. Some
iron-ore deposits occur in the Barren Measure Formation. Finally, it should be
understood that coal deposits of the Gondwana Supergroup reflect main
economic importance of the supergroup.
Learners, you have learnt about the distribution, classification, description of
formations and economic significance of Gondwana Supergroup. Before
discussing about the Deccan Traps, spend few minutes to perform an exercise
to check your progress.

SAQ 1
a) The Gondwana sediments are of ---------------------- origin.
b) Name the two classification schemes of the Gondwana Supergroup.
c) What is the age range of the Gondwana Supergroup?
d) List the main lithology of the Gondwana Supergroup.
e) Where does the sediments of the Lower Gondwana Sequence are
well developed?
f) Match the following:
a. Lower Gondwana Sequence i. Iron ore
b. Upper Gondwana Sequence ii. Damuda basin
c. Raniganj Formation iii. Ptilophyllumflora
d. Barren Measures Formation iv. Glossopteris flora

7.3 DECCAN TRAPS

At the close of the Cretaceous period, the peninsular India was witnessed by
the major phase of volcanic activity. It was a remarkable event in the geology of
India, where numerous lava flows were poured out mainly through fissure-type
of volcanic eruption and covered a vast area of the Deccan Plateau in the
western and central India. These lava flows formed as one of the Large Igneous
Provinces in the world, which are known as the Deccan Traps or Deccan
Volcanic Province. The term “Deccan Traps” was given by W. H. Sykes in
1833. The word “Deccan” is derived from a Sanskrit word “Dakshin” referring
south or southern whereas the word “Traps” derived from a Scandinavian word
“Traps/Trappa” referring a step-like appearance. Hence, Deccan Traps refers to
the step-like appearance of the basaltic terrain of the Deccan Plateau.
Moreover, the lava flows of the Deccan Traps formed the flat-topped plateau-
like topography of the terrain with step-like terraces. The lava flows are
dominantly basaltic in composition. Hence, these flows are generally, called

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