Gondwana Supergroup

INDIAN
STRATIGRAPHY
GONDWANA SUPERGROUP
INTRODUCTION
Gondwana Supergroup comprises a thick sequence of fluviatile and lacustrine sediments
having a cumulative thickness of about 6 to 7 km with glacial sediments at the base. It covers
a vast tract of India, particularly prominent in peninsular region, occupying about 50,000
km2 areas. The deposition of the sequence began in the Upper Carboniferous and continued
up to the Lower Cretaceous.
The term “Gondwana” was coined by H.B. Medlicott in1872.

• It was derived from the kingdom of the Gonds, a great and ancient tribe who still inhabit in
the Central Provinces (Madhya Pradesh).
• The term supergroup may be use for several associated groups or for associated groups and
formations with significant lithological properties in common.
HISTORY OF GONDWANA
• Subsequent to the deposition and upliftment of the vindhyan rocks during precambrian
era the indian peninsula witnessed no furthur deposition for a long time.
• During the Upper Carboniferous Period there started a rock cycle of sedimentation in
the interconnected inland basins of fluviatile and lacustrine origin and continued upto
the end of late Cretaceous period.
• The sediments exhibit all characteristics of having been formed under a shallow water
in river and lake basins and constitutes a total thickness of about 20,000 to 30,000 feets.
• The enormous thickness of the sedimentary column led to gradual sinking of the basin
along with deposition of more sediments.
• This inland sediments of upper – Carboniferous to lower – Cretaceous age occupy a

vast area of the Indian peninsula and together constitutes the Gondwana system.
HISTORY OF GONDWANA (CONTINUED)
• During the period of deposition of

gondwana sediments the surface of the
globe was quite different from now.
• The southern continents of the present
day namely South America, Africa,
India, Australia and Antarctica during
the Gondwana period were united
together to form one continuous
landmass known as Gondwana
landmass.
• Therefore the fluviatile and lacustrine
deposits of Gondwana age occurs not
only in India but also in all southern
continents of the present day.
PALEOCLIMATIC HISTORY
• THE DEPOSITION OF GONDWANA SEDIMENTS STARTED IN EARLIER PART OF UPPER

CARBONIFEROUS PERIOD UNDER GLACIAL CLIMATIC CONDITIONS .
• IN THE COURSE OF TIME THE PENINSULA BECAME WARM AND HUMID AND THIS KIND OF CLIMATE
CONTINUED TO PREVAIL DURING THE REST OF UPPER- CARBONIFEROUS AND THE WHOLE OF THE
PERMIAN PERIOD.
• THE BEGINNING OF THE TRIASSIC PERIOD WAS MARKED IN GONDWANA CONTINENT BY THE
ADVENT OF A WARM AND DRY CLIMATE WHICH CONTINUED TO PREVAIL DURING THE REST OF
TRIASSIC PERIOD.
• DURING THE JURRASIC PERIOD AGAIN THE GONDWANA CONTINENT WITNESSED WARM AND
HUMID CLIMATE.
GONDWANA BASINS AND TECTONICS
• THE BASINS IN WHICH THE GONDAWANA ROCKS OCCUR WERE GENERALLY OF TECTONIC ORIGIN.
• THESE BASINS ARE BOUNDED BY MAJOR FAULTS WHICH ARE ARRANGED IN LINEAR PATTERN.
• . IN NARMADA –(SON-MAHANADI)-DAMODAR VALLEY THE TREND OF THE TROUGH IS APPROXIMATELY EAST-

WEST.
• IN GODAVARI VALLEY THE TREND OF TROUGH IS APPROXIMATELY NW-SE.
• PERIODIC OSCILLATION OF SINKING FLOOR AND CONSEQUENT ADJUSTMENT OF WATER LEVEL IN THE BASINS
CAUSED THE DEPOSITION OF REPEATED CYCLE COMMENCED WITH THE COARSE SAND FOLLOWED BY CLAY
AND ACCUMULATION OF PLANT REMAINS ON THE TOP OF SEQUENCE THE CYCLE WAS CLOSED.
• . THE GONDWANA ROCKS WERE SUBJECTED TO TECTONIC DISTURBANCE DURING MIDDLE

TRIASSIC(SUBSIDENCE),JURRASIC PERIOD (VOLCANIC ACTIVITY) AND POST EOCENE PERIOD (FAULTING)
LEADING TO DEVELOPMENT OF FAULTS IN GONDWANA SEQUENCE.
• GONDWANA ROCKS WERE ALSO CUT ACROSS BY VOLCANIC DYKES AND SILLS OF BASALTIC COMPOSITION AS
IN RAJMAHAL LAVAS FLOWS.
• IN HIMALAYAN REGION, THE GONDWANA ROCKS WERE AFFECTED BY SEVERE OROGENIC MOVEMENTS
DURING TERTIARY ERA AND WERE SUBJECTED TO FOLDING, FAULTING AND THURSTING.
WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION
1. IN SOUTH AFRICA EQUIVALENT OF GONDWANA SYSTEM ARE KNOWN AS

KAROO SYSTEM.
2. IN SOUTH AMERICA (BRAZIL) THE ROCKS OF GONDWANA AGE
CONSTITUTES THE SANTA CATARINA SYSTEM.
3. THE KUTTUNG, KUMILAROI AND HAWKESBURY ROCKS OF AUSTRALIAN
ARE OF GONDWANA AGE.
4. ROCKS OF GONDWANA AGE ALSO OCCUR IN SOME PARTS OF THE
ANTARCTICA CONTINENT.
DISTRIBUTION AND TOPOGRAPHY
THE ROCKS OF THE GONDWANA SUPERGROUP IN PENINSULAR INDIA MAINLY

OCCUR IN THE FOUR ISOLATED PATCHES REPRESENTED BY LINEAR TRACTS.
THESE TRACTS ARE KOEL-DAMODAR BASIN OF WEST BENGAL AND JHARKHAND,
SON-MAHANADI BASIN OF CHHATISGARH AND MADHYA PRADESH, SATPURA BASIN
OF MADHYA PRADESH AND PRANHITA-GODAVARI BASIN OF TELANGANA AND
ANDHRA PRADESH .
IN ADDITION, A FEW GONDWANA OUTCROPS ALSO PRESENT IN THE EASTERN
COASTAL AREA OF INDIA SUCH AS ATHGARH BASIN OF ODISHA, KRISHNA TROUGH
OF ANDHRA PRADESH AND PALAR-CAUVERY TROUGHS OF TAMIL NADU.
IN THE HIMALAYAN REGION, A LINEAR BELT OF THE LOWER GONDWANA ROCKS
OCCURS ALONG THE HIMALAYAN FOOT-HILLS ASSAM AND ARUNACHAL PRADESH
AND ALSO IN KASHMIR VALLEY.
MAP OF INDIA SHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE GONDWANA
BASINS.
STRATIGRAPHIC CLASSIFICATION
A MAJOR PART OF THE GONDWANA SEDIMENTS ARE CONFINED TO THE THREE TRACTS
WHICH INCLUDE KOEL- DAMODAR, SON MAHANADI AND PRANHITA – GODAVARI BASINS.
THE GONDWANA SUPERGROUP IS DIVIDED INTO TWO MAJOR DIVISIONS BASED ON THEIR
LITHOLOGICAL AND PALAEONTOLOGICAL EVIDENCES.
(i) TWO-FOLD CLASSIFICATION BY W.T. BLANFORD, DIVIDED INTO LOWER AND UPPER
GONDWANAS, CHARACTERISED BY THE GLOSSOPTERIS AND PTILOPHYLLUM.
(ii) (II) THREE-FOLD CLASSIFICATION BY HUGHES, WHO IDENTIFIED A MIXED FLORA

CALLED DICROIDIUM IN BETWEEN THE GLOSSOPTERIS AND PTILOPHYLLUM FLORAS.
TWO FOLD STRATIGRAPHIC SUCCESSION OF GONDWANA SUPERGROUP
STRATIGRAPHIC CORRELATION
SATPURA BASIN
SON – MAHANADI BASIN
PRANHITA – GODAVARI BASIN
KOEL - DAMODAR BASIN
GONDWANA CLIMATE
GLACIAL CLIMATE LOWER GONDWANA
HUMID SUBTROPICAL COAL SEAM

CLIMATE SEDIMENTS
HOT ,DRY DESERT TRIASSIC

CLIMATE GONDWANA
GLOSSOPTERIS
FLORA DISAPPERED
WARM MOIST PERIOD UPPER GONDWANA

GONDWANA FOSSILS
PLANT ANIMAL
FORMATION FOSSIL FOSSIL
UPPER GONDWANA DICTOZYAMITES GONDTHERIUM
PTERIDOSPERMS DATTAI
PTILLOPHYLLUM INDOTHERIUM
BRACHYPHYLLUM PRANHITAI(MAMMALI
WILLIAMSONIA A)
MIDDLE GONDWANA DICRODIUM, DICYNODON(REPTILE)
PTEROPHYLLUM ESTHERIA
LOWER GONDWANA GLOSSOPTERIS MASTODONASAURUS

GANGAMOPTERIS INDICA,PESIOSAURUS
VERTEBRARIA
NOEGGERATHIOPSIS
williamsonia ptillophyllum
dicrodium glossopteris
Economic minerals
1. Coal deposits
Coal seams of gondwana are
of bituminous to sub
bituminous.
Lower gondwana are highly
rich in coal deposits.
Barakar and Raniganj
formations are important
coal deposits of gondwana
supergroup.
Iron Ores
Barren measures of damuda group consist
of ironstone shales.
These beds contain siderite deposits.
BUILDING STONES
Lithology of gondwana mainly consist of
sandstones which are used as a building
material.
Conglomerates and slates are also used in
building and construction material.
Thank You
An educational presentation by
1. CHANDRA MOHAN RAJNEESH
Roll no 360.
2. KUMAR SAHIL Roll no 364.
3. ROHIT KUMAR Roll no 367.
4. SURYANSHU RAJ Roll no 361.
5. SHASHI RANJAN Roll no 359.
Bsc Geology Honours Science College
PATNA UNIVERSITY.

Gondwana Supergroup

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INDIAN

The term “Gondwana” was coined by H.B. Medlicott in1872.

• This inland sediments of upper – Carboniferous to lower – Cretaceous age occupy a

• During the period of deposition of

• THE DEPOSITION OF GONDWANA SEDIMENTS STARTED IN EARLIER PART OF UPPER

• . IN NARMADA –(SON-MAHANADI)-DAMODAR VALLEY THE TREND OF THE TROUGH IS APPROXIMATELY EAST-

• IN GODAVARI VALLEY THE TREND OF TROUGH IS APPROXIMATELY NW-SE.

• . THE GONDWANA ROCKS WERE SUBJECTED TO TECTONIC DISTURBANCE DURING MIDDLE

1. IN SOUTH AFRICA EQUIVALENT OF GONDWANA SYSTEM ARE KNOWN AS

THE ROCKS OF THE GONDWANA SUPERGROUP IN PENINSULAR INDIA MAINLY

(ii) (II) THREE-FOLD CLASSIFICATION BY HUGHES, WHO IDENTIFIED A MIXED FLORA

GLACIAL CLIMATE LOWER GONDWANA

HUMID SUBTROPICAL COAL SEAM

HOT ,DRY DESERT TRIASSIC

WARM MOIST PERIOD UPPER GONDWANA

LOWER GONDWANA GLOSSOPTERIS MASTODONASAURUS

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