Lithology

The Talchir sequence has a tillite or boulder bed at the base. This is succeeded by
splintery, greenish shales and sandstones. This sequence was not studied in detail by
the geologists of ISI.

The Barakar sandstones immediately overlying the Talchir rocks contain feldspar in
appreciable quantity (10–17%). The overlying Kundaram Formation is essentially
arenaceous. In the exposed part, this formation also contains bands of ironstone (4–
6%). The feldspar content of the Kundaram sandstone varies between 6 and 10% (Bose
and Sengupta, 1993).

The Kamthi Formation overlying the Kundaram has, at its base, a purple coloured
argillaceous sandstone that is interbedded with sandy siltstone. The sandstone
overlying this siltstone (the Middle Kamthi) contains clasts of siltstone. This in turn is
overlain by a coarse-grained, ferruginous sandstone with quartz pebbles (the Upper
Kamthi). The proportion of ferruginous cement increases towards the top. The Middle
and Upper Kamthi sandstones contain small quantities (<2%) of feldspar (Sengupta,
1970).

Red clays with interbedded thin sheets of calcareous sandstones dominate the
Yerrapalli and Maleri Formations overlying the Kamthi. Peloidal calcirudite/calcarenite
occurs as lenses within the red clays and at the base of the sandstones (Sarkar, 1988).
An argillaceous, feldspathic (∼5%), pebbly sandstone (Bhimaram Sandstone),
occasionally containing fragments of red clay, demarcates the Yerrapalli from the Maleri
(Jain et al., 1964).

“The sandstones of the Dharmaram are generally medium- to coarse-grained and may
in places be even gritty… (these) sandstones (may) contain abundant lime-pellets, clay
galls and irregular-shaped galls of tough limey mudstones” (Kutty et al., 1987).

“Succeeding the topmost clay band of the Dharmaram Formation is a coarse, pebbly
sandstone which grades up through fine grained white sandstones into red clays; these
red clays are in turn overlain by calcareous shales and limestones yielding the typical
fish fauna of the Kota…” (Kutty et al., 1987). The Kota Formation described from the
eastern part of the central Godavari Valley consists of an association of sandstones, red
clays and limestones (Rudra, 1982).

The Gangapur Formation “has in its lower part some coarse and very coarse ferruginous
sandstones with many pebble bands. These are then succeeded by an alternating
sequence of sandstone and mudstones or silty mudstones. The mudstones
characterise this upper part as also some ferruginous concretions that occur within or
interbedded with them” (Kutty et al., 1987).
The Chikiala Formation consists of coarse and very coarse ferruginous sandstones
(orthoquartzite or subarkose) and massive, locally extensive, but highly impersistent
breccio-conglomerate with lenticular red clays. These poorly sorted sandstones are
often highly ferruginous or calcareous and sometimes contain clay or shale fragments
(Rudra, 1982).

The Chintalpudi Sandstone Formation overlying the Bezwada Gneiss in the coastal area
consists of conglomerates and feldspathic sandstones with ferruginous siltstone and
shale interbeddings. The overlying Gollapilli Formation consists of conglomeratic
sandstones and sandy shales. The Raghavapuram Mudstone overlying the Gollapilli has
three members. The lowermost member, which is a feldspathic wacke, is glauconite
bearing at places. A mud-ironstone band which forms a conspicuous datum in this area
consists of large ellipsoidal mudstone concretions with secondary barite (Baksi, 1977).

4. Depositional environments

Various lines of evidence like lithological sequence, geometry of the lithic fill,
sedimentary textures and structures, were utilized for interpreting the depositional
environments of the Gondwana sediments. These suggest that Gondwana
sedimentation in the P–G Valley took place mainly under fluvial conditions. Non-fluvial
environments prevailed only locally.

4.1. Fluvial environment of sedimentation

The Barakar, Middle and Upper Kamthi and Bhimaram Formations around Bhimaram
consist of thin, shoestring sand bodies, sinuous in plan and prismatic or lenticular in
cross-section. These were interpreted as point-bar sands produced by the process of
lateral accretion in meandering streams (Sengupta, 1970). Cross-stratifications within
these sandstones are of trough-lenticular, and planar-tabular varieties. The shapes and
magnitudes of these cross-stratifications are very similar to those found in present day
fluvial regimes. Structures comparable to these in all morphological details could be
reproduced in laboratory channels by unidirectional current flows (Sengupta, 1974).

The grain-size frequency distribution of the channel sands shows assemblages of

several lognormally distributed populations. The nature of these distributions compare
well with those reported from present day fluvial sands (Visher, 1965, Visher, 1969). The
principle involved in interpreting depositional environment from grain-size distribution is
discussed by Friedman (1979). The physical process of grain sorting leading to
lognormal distribution in fluvial regimes was investigated theoretically (Ghosh, 1988),
as well as experimentally (Sengupta et al., 1999). It was found that a process of grain
sorting, leading to the concentration of only a narrow range of grain-sizes in the bed,
could be responsible for the generation of lognormality.
The Gondwana channel sands have an intertonguing relationship with sheets of clay,
silt, and silty sandstones. The body-geometry and grain-size distribution of these thinly
laminated, sun-cracked, graded sediments are comparable to the suspension deposits
in waterlogged floodbasins bordering present day river channels. Much of the fine-
grained sediments constituting the Lower Kamthi siltstone and the Yerrapalli and Maleri
clays are of this type.

Interbedded with the silts and clays of the floodbasins occur lenses of fine grained,
ripple marked, calcareous sand bodies of arcuate shapes—apparently, remnants of
abandoned cut-off channels within interchannel flood plains. Silty sandstones filling
the Lower Kamthi channels are often sandwiched between siltstone and claystone of
varying thickness. These prismatic or V-shaped sand bodies running parallel to the
Kamthi channel deposits are comparable to the chute cut-off found in present day
fluvial channels (Allen, 1965).

“The sequence from the base of the upper member of the Kota Formation to the top of
the Chikiala Formation is perhaps a coarsening-upward sequence formed under a
braided-cum-alluvial fan river system” (Rudra, 1982).

4.2. Non-fluvial environment of sedimentation

The Talchir rocks have not been studied in detail in the Godavari Valley. Elsewhere in the
Peninsular India, they are believed to be of glacio-lacustrine (Pascoe, 1959, p. 930), or
glacio-marine origin (Mukhopadhyay and Bhattacharya, 1996, p. 737).

Interpretation of the depositional environment of rocks belonging to the Kundaram

Formation near Kundaram (formerly named ‘Ironstone Shale’/‘Infra Kamthi’) has been a
matter of debate. Analysis of the trends of cyclicity of the lithological units belonging to
this formation showed a coarsening upward sequence (Bose and Sengupta, 1993). This
is markedly different from the fining upward trend commonly observed in the Gondwana
formations of fluviatile origin. The consistency (L∼35%) of cross-bedding azimuths
within the Kundaram Formation is also less than the consistency of the azimuths within
the Barakar (L∼96%), and the Middle and Upper Kamthi (L=66–74%) which are
interpreted to be of fluviatile origin.

The ironstones within the Kundaram Formation are composed mostly of goethite and
chamosite with smaller quantities of hematite and manganese carbonates (Bose and
Sengupta, 1993). This mineral assemblage suggests precipitation under alkaline and
slightly anoxic conditions (Krumbein and Garrels, 1952). This may be taken as an
indirect evidence for precipitation under marine conditions. In fact, many ironstones
elsewhere in the world are believed to have formed in ‘near-marine, if not fully marine
condition’ (Pettijohn, 1975, p. 424).
Textural evidence for the replacement of carbonates by iron oxides is present within the
Kundaram sandstones. In many intertidal marshes and sandflats, ferrous iron carried in
solution in aerated river water is precipitated as ferric oxide as a replacement for
carbonate in equilibrium with sea water (Castano and Garrels, 1950, Pettijohn, 1975). It
may be noted here that in the Raniganj basin ironstone bearing rock formations in the
same stratigraphic position as the Kundaram of the Godavari Valley also showed a
coarsening upward sequence. These ironstones were inferred to be of stagnant
(swampy) lake origin (Sengupta and Mandal, 1987). The microbiota within the ironstone
shale band at Raniganj indicate ‘inner shelf to brackish condition’ (Pal et al., 1994).

In an area located approximately 50 km northeast of Kundaram, a fluvial environment of

sedimentation for the same stratigraphic unit was inferred based on sedimentological
and faunal criteria (Ray, 1997). This leaves the question of the extent of the inferred
marine influence during deposition of the Kundaram sediments open to further
investigation.

A non-fluvial environment of sedimentation was inferred also for the following rock
formations in the P–G Valley. “The limestones of the Kota Formation perhaps
accumulated in a playa type lake during the time when the proximal alluvium was
getting deposited at the margin of the provenance” (Rudra, 1982). This conclusion was
derived from sedimentological and faunal criteria. “The Kota domal stromatolites as
well as oncolites are very similar to the freshwater blue green algal stromatolites and
oncolites reported in various geological publications” (Rudra and Maulik, 1987).

Marginal marine inundation during deposition of the basal Gollapilli Sandstone in the
coastal Godavari area was proposed on the basis of sedimentological and faunal
evidence. During the Lower Cretaceous (Neocomian), the Raghavapuram Mudstone
was deposited in a large embayment. Faunal and sedimentological evidence indicate
environmental fluctuation from ‘deep central bay, neritic to open gulf type’. A
continental environment was re-established during post-Neocomian–pre-Danian time,
depositing the Tirupati Sandstone. Local marine transgression followed during the
Danian (Baksi, 1977).

5. Provenance, palaeoclimate, palaeocurrent, and palaeohydraulics

5.1. Provenance

The predominance of undulose quartz of monocrystalline type and the presence of a

small proportion of quartz of polycrystalline variety in the Kundaram (‘Infra Kamthi’)
sandstones are indicative of a low-grade metamorphic source (Bose and Sengupta,
1993). A gradual decrease in the proportion of fresh feldspar from the Barakar to the
Kundaram Formation suggests progressive peneplanation of the source area.
Following Dickinson and Suczek (1979) the source was categorized as a ‘continental
block provenance ranging from cratonic interior to transitional continental’. The
provenance remained the same from the Barakar through Kundaram. These findings,
together with a general northerly direction of sediment transportation in the Godavari
basin suggest that the probable source of the Gondwana sediments was the low-grade
metamorphic rocks at the southeastern fringe of the present Godavari Valley. The
Bezwada Gneiss exposed in the Eastern Ghats served as the source for Gondwana
sediments in the coastal area (Baksi, 1977).

5.2. Palaeoclimate

The Gondwana formations contain varying proportions of feldspars. The feldspar

content is low to moderate for the Barakar, Kundaram, and Bhimaram Formations, but
very low to insignificant for the middle and upper members of the Kamthi Formation. In
fact, it is possible to discriminate between these stratigraphic units using feldspar as
the sole criterion (Ghosh et al., 1981). In the modern big rivers of the world, the
proportion of quartz to feldspar increases when the climate is tropical to subtropical
suggesting a lesser chance of survival of feldspar in humid climate (Basu, 1976, Potter,
1978). This is in conformity with the traditional belief regarding the climatic significance
of feldspars. However, discovery of fresh feldspar in a humid, tropical South American
climate led to the conclusion that a short distance transportation followed by quick
burial is the key to preservation of fresh feldspar in nature (Pettijohn, 1975). Quick burial
implies sudden uplift of the source area together with rapid subsidence of the basin of
accumulation—conditions which might have prevailed during sedimentation of the
Barakar, Kundaram and Bhimaram Formations. The presence of a relatively dry climate
may also be envisaged because the effects of climate and tectonism need not be
mutually exclusive.

Peloidal calcirudite/calcarenite occurring as discrete lenses within red clays of the

Maleri Formation also provide some clues to palaeoclimate. These calcrete-derived
features were initially thought to be indicative of rainy seasons alternating with periods
of high evaporation (Robinson, 1964). Later studies indicated that these peloids of
intraformational origin were derived by reworking of incipient pedogenic caliche profiles
within the Maleri flood plains, abandoned channels and levees. Other lines of evidence
like the predominance of smectites, poor floral content, faunal assemblage and paucity
of evaporites within the Maleri point to low seasonal rainfall in a semi-arid environment
(Sarkar, 1988). The presence of fresh feldspars within the Bhimaram Sandstone
underlying the Maleri clay also suggests deposition in a semi-arid condition.

5.3. Palaeocurrent

For the Barakar sediments of fluvial origin, the direction of sediment transportation,
interpreted from cross-bedding azimuths, was consistently west of north (mean
direction towards 318°, L=96%; Bose and Sengupta, 1993).
In a relatively small area around Bhimram in the central Godavari Valley the
palaeocurrent patterns of the Gondwana sediments were studied in detail utilizing all
available directional (vectorial) and scalar elements of the rocks (Sengupta, 1970). The
directional elements studied were cross-bedding azimuths, orientation and imbrication
of elongate pebbles, and ripple marks. These point to an overall northerly direction of
transportation during Kamthi sedimentation. The mean current direction was
northeasterly (towards 36°) during Lower Kamthi, northerly during Middle Kamthi, but
west of north (towards 342°) during upper Kamthi sedimentation. The consistency in
current directions was low during Lower Kamthi (L=51%), high during Middle Kamthi
(L=74%), but somewhat lower again during the Upper Kamthi (66%). Statistical analysis
proved that in spite of repeated oscillations and many local changes, the resultant
population directions of the cross-bedding azimuths, and also their dispersions, are
significantly different in the three Kamthi units (Sengupta and Rao, 1966). This analysis
was based on a study of about 1000 cross-bedding azimuths within the Kamthi
Formation alone. A hierarchical sampling plan developed later by Rao and Sengupta
(1970) indicated that a smaller number of selected observations within the study area
would have also given the same answer.

The flow directions for the Kundaram rocks underlying the Lower Kamthi varied between
northeast and northwest. The mean direction was towards 22°, and the consistency in
the directions was only 35% (Bose and Sengupta, 1993). The large dispersion in flow
direction was due to an inferred change in the depositional environment.

The overall north–northwesterly flow direction during the late Palaeozoic–Mesozoic

Gondwana sedimentation in the P–G Valley, until about the Early Jurassic, was
confirmed by a number of workers. A reversal of palaeoslope during the Late Jurassic or
Early Cretaceous in the coastal areas (for example, in the Gollapilli Sanstone) was
inferred by some (Baksi, 1977, Tewari and Casshyap, 1996). A possible explanation for
this reversal lies in the emergence of the Deccan Trap volcanics in large parts of western
India during this time.

While all the directional elements within the Kamthi rocks consistently point to
sediment transportation towards the north, the information provided by the scalar
elements tell a different story. Since the direction of sediment transport, as indicated by
the directional elements, was towards the north, it is only natural that the pebble-size
should also decrease towards this direction. In reality, however, the pebble-size
decreases in a southwesterly direction (Sengupta, 1970). Sporadic measurements in
rocks believed to be equivalent to the Kamthi Formation in the southern part of the
Gondwana basin indicated an overall decrease of pebble-size towards the northwest
(Baksi, 1977). The southwesterly decrease in pebble-size within the Kamthi rocks near
Bhimaram could therefore be a local feature. Alternatively, it can be suggested that
these pebbles were derived mostly from the elevated Precambrian terrane fringing the
eastern margin of the Gondwana graben while the sand was derived from a
southeasterly source. The estimated flow velocity within the Gondwana River (see
below) would transport only sand, not pebbles. This idea can be verified by comparing
the petrography of the pebbles within the Kamthi rocks with those of the Precambrian
rocks fringing the Gondwana graben.

5.4. Palaeohydraulics

Working out the dimensions of the streams responsible for Gondwana sedimentation is
an interesting, but difficult exercise. Following the procedure discussed elsewhere
(Sengupta, 1994, p. 279), an attempt is made here to estimate the dimensions of the
palaeochannels from the thicknesses of the cross-beddings deposited by the streams.
Earlier studies (Sengupta, 1974) indicate that in about 70% of the cases within the
Middle Kamthi, and 90% of the cases within the Upper Kamthi, the cross-bedding
thickness lie below 62 cm. The maximum thickness recorded from the Upper Kamthi is
about 1.55 m, that in the Middle Kamthi is about 3.72 m. The values of stream
dimensions and velocity parameters for the Middle and Upper Kamthi estimated from
these thickness data are given in Table 2.

Table 2. Stream dimensions and velocity parameters for the Middle and Upper Kamthi,
estimated from thicknesses of cross-beddings

Most frequent
Parameter Highest value within
value

Middle Upper
Kamthi Kamthi

Height (thickness) of cross-

<0.62 3.72 1.55
bedding, H (m)

Depth of water in channel, d (m) <5.26 23.67 11.35

Width of channel, W (m) <264.94 1408.30 622.57

Velocity, v (m/s) <0.40 0.66 0.52

6. Stratigraphy

In course of his pioneering work, King (1881) subdivided the Gondwana sequence of the
Godavari Valley into the following ‘groups’: Talchir, Barakar, Kamthi, Maleri, Kota, and
Chikiala. Later workers defined several new formations within the post-Talchir
Gondwana sequence of the Godavari Valley following the criteria laid down in the
Stratigraphic Code (Table 1). The Kamthi group of King was mapped as a formation
by Sengupta, 1966, Sengupta, 1970, who subdivided it into three members based on
lithological criteria. The same group was however subdivided into five ‘formations’
by Raiverman et al., 1985, Raiverman, 1986.

A purplish coloured siltstone unit, easily identifiable in the field, constitutes the
lowermost member of the Kamthi. The stratigraphic position and nomenclature of the
ferruginous shales, sandstones and ironstones underlying the Kamthi siltstone gave rise
to some controversy. This rock unit matched the ‘Ironstone Shale Formation’ of the
Raniganj Coalfield in its stratigraphic position (Sengupta, 1966, Sengupta, 1970).
Elsewhere in the basin, the same rock unit was thought to have ‘Motur affinity’ (Kutty,
1969), or considered equivalent to the Barren Measures (Ramanamurthy,
1985, Ramanamurthy and Rao, 1996). In the course of a later study, the unit was named
Infra-Kamthi (Kutty et al., 1987).

Subsequent studies yielded two mappable units between the Talchir and the Lower
Kamthi. (1) A lower sequence of sandstone and shale with some clay and coal, and (2)
an upper sequence of sandstone, ironstone and claystone with an insignificant
proportion of shale but no coal. A glance at the nature of the rock formations underlying
the rocks considered equivalent to the Kamthi in the Raniganj, Jharia and the Satpura
basins is worthwhile at this stage. The Ironstone Shale Formation of the Raniganj
Coalfield comprises ‘mainly carbonaceous shales with clay ironstone nodules. It is also
characteristically devoid of any workable coal seams….’ In the Jharia Coalfield, the
Ironstone Shales are not readily recognizable as such due to paucity of siderite bands.
But there is a corresponding horizon without any workable seams of coal between the
highest coal seams of the Barakar and the basal seams of the Raniganj stage. These
strata have been designated as the Barren Measures by Fox (1930) (?1934). …Recent
drilling by the Geological Survey of India in the Jharia coalfield has proved the thickness
of the formation as about 700 m mostly comprising shales and fine-grained sandstone…

“In the Satpura basin, the Barren Measures seem to be represented by a thick horizon of
soft, coarse sandstone intercalated with clay and shale beds and is known as the
‘Motur Stage’ ”… (Dutta, 1977, p. 75).

In the Godavari Valley, the coal-bearing unit immediately overlying the Talchir was
identified as the Barakar. The lithofacies assemblage of the unit overlying the Barakar
here matched neither the Ironstone Shale Formation, nor the Barren Measures of the
type areas (Bose and Sengupta, 1993). It also does not seem to have a Motur affinity.
This unit has since been named the Kundaram Formation (Ray, 1997, Sengupta, 1998).
While the top of the Kundaram Formation is defined by the Lower Kamthi siltstone of
distinctively purple colour, its lower boundary was placed on top of the Sondila coal
seam. Carbonaceous shales located immediately above this seam yielded a
palynological assemblage similar to the Upper Barakar. The purpose of this elaborate
discussion is to illustrate how different observers, each following the Stratigraphic
Code, may arrive at diverse results regarding subdivision and nomenclature of the same
stratigraphic unit.

The post-Kamthi Maleri Group of King (1881) was subdivided into the Yerrapalli,
Bhimaram, and Maleri Formations by Jain et al. (1964), on the basis of faunal and
lithological criteria. The Yerrapalli clays succeed the Upper Kamthi Sandstone without
any significant break (Sengupta, 1970). In fact, the Middle Triassic Yerrapalli and
Bhimaram Formations together have been shown to ‘act as part of a continuous
succession’ (Dasgupta, 1993).

Two new formations, the Dharmaram and Gangapur, were erected by Kutty above the
Maleri. The three formations, Bhimaram, Maleri and Dharmaram were mapped in detail
near the Maleri village (Kutty and Sengupta, 1989). The lower boundary of the Kota
Formation was recognized at the base of a pebbly sandstone succeeding the topmost
clay band of the Dharmaram Formation. The overlying beds have yielded the typical fish
fauna of the Kota (Kutty et al., 1987). While “the succession between the Kamthi and the
redefined Kota Formation is an essentially unbroken one except, perhaps, for a minor
break at the base of Kota”, the newly defined Gangapur Formation was shown to “overlie
limestones and associated beds of the Kota Formation with angular unconformity”
(Kutty, 1969, Kutty et al., 1987).

Perhaps the most significant stratigraphic finding in the Godavari basin was that the
deposits between Talchir and Gangapur represent an unbroken sequence of
sedimentation during the Permo-Triassic (Sengupta, 1966, Sengupta, 1970, Chatterjee,
1967). In fact, there is no recognizable break between the so-called Lower and Upper
Gondwana (Kutty et al., 1987).

The pattern of deposition that evolved out of this process of sedimentation is

schematically represented in Fig. 2. This is a modified version of a similar figure
published earlier (Sengupta, 1970, Fig. 3). This diagram is designed to combine two
diverging stratigraphic principles: the law of superposition depicting a change in the
vertical direction, and the concept of lithofacies variation implying a lateral change.
Such a mode of representation follows from the finding that each Gondwana formation
under review consists of several lithological subunits representing lenses of coarse
channel sands and finer flood plain sediments. Within some units, like the Middle and
Upper Kamthi, the arenaceous channel facies dominates. In others like the Yerrapalli,
and the Maleri, the interchannel flood plain predominates. The channel and flood plain
deposits have an intertonguing or interbedded relationship.
 1. Download: Download full-size image

Fig. 2. Schematic representation of facies associations within sediments of the

Pranhita–Godavari Valley (not to scale).

The key to the Gondwana stratigraphy in the P–G Valley lies in the repetition of the
channel and interchannel flood plain facies in time and space. A model for the
repetition of lithofacies by shifting fluvial channels from the Barakar through Maleri was
proposed earlier (Sengupta, 1970, Fig. 14). Rudra (1982) recognized repetition by
laterally shifting meandering river systems from the base of the Dharmaram Formation
to the top of the lower member of the Kota Formation. Dutta also recognized repetitions
of four major facies associations within the Gondwana sequence on a global scale, but
mistakenly assigned the suggestion of ‘repetition of facies due to reverse faulting’ to the
present writer (Dutta, 1996, Fig. 7c). No such interpretation appears in Sengupta (1970).

7. Suggestions for further studies

Whatever the number of the facies variations involved, there is little doubt that the
process of Gondwana sedimentation in the P–G Valley remained uninterrupted for a
long period. Compartmentalization of the deposits formed out of this continuous
process of sedimentation into discrete units, following the Stratigraphic Code, does not
provide an answer to the problems of classification and correlation. For example, many
units, big and small, will satisfy the criteria laid down in the Code for defining a
formation. This makes the application of the Code essentially subjective and explains
how, for example, a three-fold subdivision of the Kamthi was attained by Sengupta
(1970), while a five-fold division was proposed by Raiverman et al. (1985).

A relatively objective approach to the problem of classification and correlation seems to

be the technique of Sequence Stratigraphy which attempts to correlate ‘genetically
related succession of strata bounded by unconformities or their relative conformities’
(Mitchum, 1977). Like the conventional Stratigraphic Code, Sequence Stratigraphy also
provides a complete hierarchy of stratigraphic units. The criterion of correlation being
genetic rather than descriptive, Sequence Stratigraphy is expected to provide results
that are more meaningful.

The Sequence Stratigraphic concept is often believed to deal with marine deposits only.
However, it is known to be equally applicable to non-marine sequences (see, for
example, the ‘hinterland sequence’ of Mitchum, 1977, Posamentier and Vail,
1988, Emery and Myers, 1996; and the discussion in Friedman and Sanders, 2000). In
the Upper Carboniferous Breathit Group of Eastern Kentucky, where stacked fluvial
bodies are incised into a variety of open marine and delta plain deposits, systems tracts
have been identified on the basis of ‘sequential position, facies associations,
systematic changes in architectural style, and sedimentary body geometries’ (Aitken
and Flint, 1995). Correlation, in this case, was achieved by detailed field logging of
outcrops.

The Permo-Triassic Gondwana fluvial deposits of the P–G Valley, which are punctuated
by a few unconformities and marine (?) incursions, provide an ideal case for a ‘test run’
of the Sequence Stratigraphic model using similar techniques.

Acknowledgements

I thank Professors A.K. Chaudhuri, D. Saha for inviting me to contribute a review article
on Gondwana sedimentation in the P–G Valley. Comments and suggestions received
from both of them and from Professors G.M. Friedman, S. Sen have helped improve
presentation.

I am grateful to Dr Soumen Sarkar of the Geological Studies Unit, Indian Statistical

Institute for providing me the current information regarding publications on the P–G
Valley, and also for compiling the information presented in Fig. 1. I thank Mr D.K. Saha
for typing the manuscript and Mr A.K. Das and Mr C. Mukherjee for drafting the text
figures. This review was supported by the Honorary Scientist Scheme of the Indian
National Science Academy (INSA).