Late Pleistocene/Holocene vegetation and environment in and around Marian shola, Palni Hills, Tamil Nadu

Abstract

This paper highlights the results obtained from fine resolution palynostratigraphy and chronostratigraphy of a 1.7 m deep sediment profile from Marian shola in Palni Hills. Palynological reports have unravelled a two-fold vegetation development, viz., shrub savanna-grassland-shrub savanna reflecting two-fold climatic oscillations such as warm and moist-cold and dry-warm and moist under tropical surroundings. Radiocarbon dates have revealed 30,000 years age for the total deposits. The sediments are mostly lacustrine and laid down under a reducing environment indicating a slow rate of deposition, i.e., top 1 m deposits were accumulated at the rate of 1 cm per 107.50 years while bottom 70 cm deposits were laid down at the rate of 1 cm per 275.70 years.