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Iii Geology of The Area

The document provides information about the geology of the Kayada block area in Jharkhand, India. It discusses: 1) The regional geology, with the area being part of the larger Rajmahal coalfields located in the Gondwana Super Group rocks, including the Barakar Formation which contains coal seams. 2) The local geology, with the Kayada block located on the eastern slope of hills comprised of the Dubrajpur and Rajmahal formations, while the Barakar Formation occurs in lower elevations and contains exposed coal seams. 3) The structural geology, with the regional dip of formations being gentle to the east-northeast and local normal faults present

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Meghlal Prasad Verma
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99 views10 pages

Iii Geology of The Area

The document provides information about the geology of the Kayada block area in Jharkhand, India. It discusses: 1) The regional geology, with the area being part of the larger Rajmahal coalfields located in the Gondwana Super Group rocks, including the Barakar Formation which contains coal seams. 2) The local geology, with the Kayada block located on the eastern slope of hills comprised of the Dubrajpur and Rajmahal formations, while the Barakar Formation occurs in lower elevations and contains exposed coal seams. 3) The structural geology, with the regional dip of formations being gentle to the east-northeast and local normal faults present

Uploaded by

Meghlal Prasad Verma
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CHAPTER – III
GEOLOGY OF THE AREA

3.1 Introduction

Jharkhand is surrounded by West Bengal on the eastern side, Uttar Pradesh


and Chhattisgarh on the western side and by Orissa on the southern side. On the
north is the state of Bihar. The state of Jharkhand has a total area of about 79,714
square kilometers, out of which 18,423 square kilometer area is covered by deep
forests. The total land available for cultivation in Jharkhand is about 38 lakh hectares.
Agriculture is the main source of employment in the state. Much of the state is
covered in forests, which helps to conserve a fascinating wildlife.

Jharkhand is the richest state in the country as far as the availability of mineral
resources is concerned (Dutt, and Datta 2000). The minerals found in abundance in
Jharkhand are bauxite, coal, iron ore, pyrite, limestone, copper ore, china clay, fine
clay, graphite, soap stone, silica sand and quartz sand.

The Kayada block covers an area of 1.82 Sq.Km and forms integral part of
Mahuagrahi basin. The Mahuagrahi basin occupies south central Part of Rajmahal
Group of coal fields. The Kayada block is bounded by North 240 24’47.8”- 240 25’
0.2”and East 870 28’ 12.5” - 870 28’ 44.10”falling in the Survey of India Topo sheets
No 72 P/7, extending over a strike length of 5.07 km & dip length of 2.68 km.

3.2 Location and Accessibility of the Study Area


The area falls within an administrative block of Kathikund and Gopikhandar
village under jurisdiction of Dumka, the district headquarters. The block is situated
towards north east of Dumka district headquarters, which is about 27.50 km from the
block.

The area is approachable from Dumka (District headquarters) by metalled


road, which is 27.50 km away from the block. Dumka is the nearest rail head of the
Eastern Railway. The block is situated towards north east of Dumka, the district
headquarters about 27.5 km away. The Dumka-Pakur state highway passes through
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the Southeast to Northeast part of the block. Location map shown in figure-3.1 and
the study area shown in figure-3.2.

3.2.2 Physiography & Drainage

The terrain is undulatory, with surface relief varies from 135m in the east
northeast to 245m in the southern part above MSL. The ground slopes gently
towards east northeast part of the block. The perennial stream Tirpatia is the main
stream which drains the block. It passes from northwest to east part of the block. The
drainage is dendritic type.

3.2.3 Climate

The area experiences a typical Tropical climate and a cool winter. The
temperature raises up to 46°C in summer and the annual maximum rainfall of
1840mm is recorded in 2000.

3.3 Topography

The total block area of 1.82 Sq.km was covered by topographic survey
bringing all the surface features villages, nalas, and road on the map. The Kayada
block is bounded by Latitudes 240 24’47.8”, 240 25’ 0.2”and Longitudes 870 28’ 12.5”,
870 28’ 44.10”falling in the Survey of India Topo sheets No 72 P/7. Topographic
Survey is shown in figure-3.3.

3.4 Regional Geology

The Rajmahal coal-field forms an integral part of a Purnea-Malda-Rajmahal-


Birbhum Master Basin. The Rajmahal group of coal-fields is North-South trending
linear chain of coal basins (Jodha, et al 2000). Mahuagarhi basin occupies the
south-central part of Rajmahal group of coalfields.

The Mahuagrahi basin is sandwiched between the Brahmani coalfield in the


south and the Pachwara basin in the north. The basement rocks in the north around
villages Kathaldih and Nicha-Pujadih demarcate the Mahuagrahi basin from
Pachwara basin. Its southern margin with the Brahmani basin is concealed by
younger units comprising of Dubrajpur formation and Rajmahal volcanic (Bose,1968).
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The western boundary of this basin is delineated by a prominent NNW-SSE


trending boundary fault along which Precambrian basement on the west is
juxtaposed against the Lower Gondwanas. The central part of the basin is covered
by younger formations like Dubrajpur and Rajmahal formation occurring as plateau
type hills. The coal bearing Barakar Formation occurs in low grounds in northeast
and southeast part.
The Kayada-Chaudhar-Gariapani block lies on the eastern slope of NW-SE
trending central hill ranges. The regional geological map shown in figure-3.4.

3.5 Detail Geology of the Study Area

The Lower Gondwana rocks inclusive of coal bearing Barakar formation in


Rajmahal groups of coal fields generally form subdue topography along main river
valleys like Bansloi, Gumra, and Brahmani etc. Isolated disposition of different coal
fields in this basin it. Apparently eflects the restricted epicenter of the
paleogeographic setup. Throughout the depositional history of Lower Gondwana
sequences (Guha, et al 1973).

Mahuagarhi basin occupies the south-central part of the Rajmahal group of


coalfields representing approximately North-South trending linear chain of coal
basins and is sandwiched between the Brahmani basin in the south and the
Pachwara basin in the north-north-east. Basement rocks around Kathaldih and
Nicha-Pujadih village (not in the map) demarcate the Mahuagarhi basin from the
Pachwara basin in the north. Its southern margin with the Brahmani basin is
concealed by younger units comprising Dubrajpur Formation and Rajmahal
formation. The western boundary of this coalfield is delineated by a prominent NNW-
SSE trending boundary fault along which Precambrian basement on the west is
juxtaposed against the Lower Gondwanas.
The central part of the basin is covered by younger formations like Dubrajpur
and Rajmahal formation standing out as plateau type hills trending NNW-SSE. Coal
bearing Barakar Formation being the softer rock that occurs in the lower ground
following prolonged denudation along nala and rivers in the north east and south east
part of the hill range.
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Kayada block lies on the eastern slope of NW-SE trending central hill ranges
in two areas, one in the south of Gariapani village and the other near Amtala-
Chaudhar area, east of the Gandharap area (Mitra, 1965). These two areas are
separated by NW-SE trending hill ranges, north-west of Dalahi village.
The rock units occurring in this area belong to Precambrian basement,
overlain non- conformably by the Gondwana Super Group represented by Talchir,
Barakar, Dubrajpur and Rajmahal formations. Talchir formation which is encountered
only in a solitary borehole, does not crop out in this part of the basin. Barakar
formation which is the sole repository of prolific coal seams occupies the entire lower
undulatory terrain under the cover of alluvium and soil and is intermittently laid bare
along nala and stream courses. The Dubrajpur formation occurs along the eastern
flank of the NW-SE trending hills, which are capped by Rajmahal formation,
represented by basaltic flows and intertrappeans.
Surface and subsurface data reveal that the Precambrian rocks are overlain
unconformably by lower Gondwana rocks of Talchir and Barakar formations, and the
latter in turn is overlain by Dubrajpur formation with apparent disconformity as
evidenced from the occurrence of pebble bed at the base of Dubrajpur formation and
bedding parallelism (Jodha, et al 2000) Rajmahal formation occupying the higher
ground overlaps Dubrajpur Formation ( Ramswamy, and Raja Rao, 1956). Detail
geology shown in figure-3.5.
The general stratigraphic sequence in this area as established on the basis of
geological mapping and subsurface data, generated from exploratory drilling is given
in this part of the basin

3.6 STRUCTURE

The Mahuagrahi basin occupies south central part of the Rajmahal Group of
coal fields. It lies between the Panchwara basin in the northeast and a Brahmani
basin in the south. The western boundary is demarcated by a prominent NNW-SSE
trending boundary fault along which the Precambrian basement on the west is
juxtaposed with the lower Gondwana sediments. The boundary fault shows varying
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amounts of throwing from NNW-SSE. The throw is maximum in the southeast


(Sengupta, 1988).
The regional trend of the formation is NW-SE to NNW-SSE having gentle
easterly dip 5 to 10 degrees. The strike of the formation swings to NE and then E-W
in the northern part of the basin. The basin in general represents a half Graben
structure where the western margin is well defined by boundary fault, while eastern
margin is concealed by younger trappean rocks. Analysis of structural elements and
subsurface data led to the delineation of a number of normal faults with varying throw
from-10 m to 120 m (Mason Brian 1966).
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