Palynology of Vastan lignite (Surat District), Gujarat: its age, palaeoecology and depositional environment

Abstract

The paper deals with the palynological investigation of lignite of Vastan lignite mine, located near Surat in Gujarat, western India. A rich and diverse palynoassemblage comprising 71 genera and 82 species of pollen-spores, algal-fungal remains and dinoflagellate cysts has been recovered for the first time from the mine. The study has added to our knowledge the occurrence of one new genus and four new species of angiospermous pollen. The assemblage is dominated by angiospermous pollen and can be distinguished from contemporaneous assemblages by high frequency of polycolpate taxa and scarcity of pteridophytic spores. The assemblage suggests deposition of Vastan lignite during the early Eocene in deltaic conditions under brackish water influence and depicts prevalence of humid tropical climate.