Palyno-dating of Nidpur beds, Son Graben, Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

The Nidpur beds, located in Gopad River section near Nidpur Village, Sidhi District, Madhya Pradesh, have proved to be a treasure of plant fossils-mainly fructifications and leaf-structures. The occurrence of Dicroidium rich pteridospermic megaflora provides the basis for dating these beds as Triassic. The present study reveals that the Nidpur beds are bracketed between two faults, as a result of which they escaped the erosion. The other underlying plant beds exposed in Gopad rivers and its tributaries (Mahan River and Sehra Nala) are older than

Nidpur beds as they yielded latest Permian palynoassemblages. Lithologically the Nidpur beds arc classified within the Upper Pali Member, and their palyno assemblage containing Playfordiaspora, Lundbladispora. Densoisporites, Araucariacites, Goubinispora, Klausipollenites, Lunatisporites, Trabeculosporites indicates a Triassic affiliation. The trailing striate-disaccates are the remainie of the Upper Permian flora. On the basis of mega and microfossils it is suggested that they are of the Early Triassic age.