Mesozoic plant fossils from the Himalayas - A critique

Abstract

A reconnaissance of the available literature has shown that the reports of Mesozoic plant fossils from the Himalayas are far too meagre as compared to the peninsula. Undoubted plant megafossils have been reported only from the Tethyan zone, i.e. from Lingshi in Bhutan, Kagbeni in Nepal and Loma in Ladakh. The Mesozoic microflora from the Tethyan zone comprises poorly preserved and mostly unidentifiable spores and pollen. The dinocysts from the Spiti Shale of the Malla Johar area are comparatively well-preserved. In the Lesser Himalayan zone the situation is rather complex. No definite plant megafossils are known from the Krol or the Tal, certain algae-like organisms excepted. There seems to be a good amount of controversy regarding the nature and age of these ‘fossils’. A well-preserved palynoflora has been reported from but a single sample in the Krol A (?Infra-Krol) of the Nainital area. The other reports of microfossils (including nannofossils) from the Krol Formation are not convincing enough. Similarly, the reports of recovery of palynomorphs from the Lower Tals cannot be totally relied upon as no research paper has come out on these.