Reptilian vertebrates from Deccan volcanic associated sediments of Malwa Plateau in context to reptiles across Maastrichtian-Paleogene volcanic eruptions in Main Deccan Volcanic Province, India

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1673-9736.2019.04.03

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Global Geology ›› 2019, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (4) : 250-257. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-9736.2019.04.03

Reptilian vertebrates from Deccan volcanic associated sediments of Malwa Plateau in context to reptiles across Maastrichtian-Paleogene volcanic eruptions in Main Deccan Volcanic Province, India

Dhananjay Mohabey, Bandana Samant, Anup Dhobale, Deepesh Kumar

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The enormous eruptive volume of India's Deccan continental flood basalts has been linked to global mass extinction at Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary and destablilisation of both marine and terrestrial ecosystems before and after the Chicxulub bolide impact. Deccan Volcanic Province (DVP) currently covers around 500 000 km² of land between latitude 15°10'-24°30'N and longitude 70°10-82°10'E over central India towards the west coast. The pre-erosional volume is estimated at around 1.6 million km³ which is one of the largest volcanic eruptions on the Earth. The Deccan lava flows in geographically separated areas in DVP are considered to have separate sources and sites of eruptions and were outpoured in different magnetochrons viz. C30n to C28n of Maastrichtian to Paleocene. The Deccan volcanic sequences (DVS) in different provinces are associated with (i) sediments deposited before the arrival (Ground Zero) of the first lava flows-designated as infratrappean or Lameta sediments and (ii) sediments between the lava flows deposited during the period of quiescence at different stratigraphic levels designated as intertrappean (interflow) sediments. The Ground Zero Lameta sediments are the major dinosaur bearing sediments deposited in six inland basins viz. 1. Balasinor-Jhabua; 2. Sagar; 3. Jabalpur; 4. Ambikapur-Amarkantak; 5. Salburdi; 6. Nand-Dongargaon. The sediments represent mainly the terrestrial ecosystems destabilised by the volcanism and they record history of biotic and environmental changes impacted by the volcanism across the Deccan volcanic eruptions. The titanosaurs, crocodylimorphs and bothremydid turtles survived across the first flows in the region in the C30n. The skeletal remains of the surviving reptiles are preserved in the Deccan volcanic associated intertrappean lake sediments at different stratigraphic levels higher-up in the sequence. Locally, in the Malwa region the Scincomorp and Anguimorph lizards make their first appearance during the earlier phase of volcanic eruptions in C30n wherein their well preserved bones are found in the intertrappean/inter lsva lake sediments deposited between the lava flows. The lizard fauna is indicated to have better flourished after the initial Deccan eruptions possibly owing to increased humidity.

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Deccan Volcanism / reptilian vertebrates / Cretaceous-Paleogene

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Dhananjay Mohabey, Bandana Samant, Anup Dhobale, Deepesh Kumar. Reptilian vertebrates from Deccan volcanic associated sediments of Malwa Plateau in context to reptiles across Maastrichtian-Paleogene volcanic eruptions in Main Deccan Volcanic Province, India[J]. Global Geology. 2019, 22(4): 250-257 https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1673-9736.2019.04.03

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