Taphonomic and palaeovegetational studies in lower Permian (Asselian-Sakmarian) deposits of Chintalapudi Area, Godavari Graben, South India

Palynomorphs from lower Permian (Asselian-Sakmarian) deposits from Chintalapudi area of Godavari Graben were used to infer palaeovegetation and palaeoenvironments through palynofacies reconstruction and taphonomic studies. The recovered palynofloral assemblage is dominated by Cordaites with subordinate conifers and glossopterids forming the floral canopy. Fillicopsids, equisetopsids, lycopsids and algae characterized an understorey flora growing in ice-free swampy areas. Taphonomic studies were based on the classifications of both Cushing and a modified version of Jäger, which incorporated data from both pollen and spores. Pollen are a key component of the studied assemblage and they have been categorized on the basis of saccus morphology. Other parameters like lithology, palynomorph diversity and abundance, have also been taken into consideration to better understand the impact of sedimentary facies on palynomorph assemblages. The study suggests that the palynoflora was deposited in two different sedimentological environments: Facies-I was deposited under a sub-oxic environment in a slowly sinking basin, while, the deposition of Facies-II took place under anoxic, water-logged environmental conditions.