Series:

Topics in Geobiology

2 primary works

Book 51

Cover of Late Cretaceous Dinosaur Eggs and Eggshells of Peninsular India

This book documents analyses of the Late Cretaceous dinosaur nesting sites of the Lameta Formation at Jabalpur, Districts Dhar and Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh; Districts Kheda and Panchmahal (Gujarat); and the Pisdura, Dongargaon and Pavna sectors in the Chandrapur Districts of Maharashtra, which are exposed in India along an east-west and central axis. In this work, special emphasis has been given to the dinosaur nesting sites of the east-central Narbada River region, including its regional geology. The work was undertaken to provide detailed information concerning dinosaur eggs, eggshell fragments, nests and clutches found in the Lameta Formation of peninsular India. Prior to the present work there had been no detailed review of systematic work on the taxonomy, and of micro- and ultrastructural studies of dinosaur eggs and eggshells from the Lameta Formation. 

The  study documents the  field and laboratory investigations that facilitated the reconstruction of the morphotaxonomy, models for the burial pattern of eggs and eggshells, taphonomic implications,and the palaeoenvironmental context and palaeoecological conditions during the Late Cretaceous at the time of the extrusion of the Deccan traps, which may have been partly responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs. The  need to follow a parataxonomic classification for Indian dinosaur eggs and eggshell types is very apparent, and this book addresses this aspect in some detail. The emphasis on the application of parataxonomic schemes is based on the description of new oospecies and their comparison with previously known forms. The  present work has led to the recovery of numerous nests, many collapsed eggs and hundreds of dinosaur eggshell fragments from the localities situated near the east, west and central Narbada River regions. It will be of interest to academics and professional palaeontologists, and all students of dinosaurs.

Book 54

Cover of Microbiota from the Late Cretaceous-Early Palaeocene Boundary Transition in the Deccan Intertrappean Beds of Central India
This book describes the microbiota of the intertrappean beds in the Chhindwara District, Madhya Pradesh, India. In this work, special emphasis is placed on the microbiota from the Late Cretaceous-Early Palaeocene transition of the central Narmada River region. Recently, the intertrappean beds of the Eastern Deccan Volcanic Province (one of the subprovinces of the Deccan Volcanic Province) have received considerable attention, which resulted in the addition of some significant biotic assemblages to the existing record from the Dindori-Chhindwara area of the province. The biotic assemblages include charophytes, ostracods, foraminiferans, fishes, frogs, lizards, turtles, crocodiles, and mammals. In spite of the recent discoveries, the known fossil record of the Late Cretaceous-Early Palaeocene biota of India is not sufficient and thus does not permit us to speculate on the possible impact of environmental changes triggered by the Deccan volcanic lava flows on the contemporary biota and toprecisely document their palaeoecologic, palaeoenvironmental and palaeobiogeographic implications. The recent biotic reports from the intertrappean beds exposed in the Chhindwara region of the Eastern Deccan Volcanic Province clearly indicate that these beds have a vast potential in terms of fossil content, which could reveal new and dissimilar biotic remains when compared to the Western Deccan Volcanic Province. 
The record of diverse accumulations of freshwater charophytes, brackish to freshwater ostracods, and planktic foraminiferal and fish assemblages from the intertrappean beds of Jhilmili and adjacent areas of Early Danian (P1a) age and lying just north of Chhindwara town and in the heart of peninsular India has intriguing implications for defining the age limits of the basaltic flows. The occurrence of non-marine taxa, for example, algae, molluscs, and vertebrates, associated with brackish water ostracods in the nearby Singpur and Mohgaon Kalan localities of the Chhindwara region, has also raised concerns about the sedimentary environments of these intertrappean beds. The new finds (presented in this book) prove useful for the better understanding of the palaeoecology and palaeoenvironment of the biota and also throw light on various paleobiogeographic models proposed for the northward drifting Indian plate. The microbiotic assemblages of the intertrappean beds of the eastern Deccan volcanic province at District Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh are documented in this book. The microbiota of the central Narmada River region, the charophytes, ostracods, planktic foraminifera, and fishes, receive special attention in this study.