Paleoclimate And Paleoenvironment Analysis Of Panchet Formation Of Damodar Basin, India Using Xrd Analysis

Abstract

The bulk rock geochemistry of 14 samples collected from the Asansol district, West Bengal, India, from the Northern bank of the river Damodar were analysed using XRD. The studied area belongs to the Panchet Formation of Lower Triassic age of Lower Gondwana group of rocks. The major analysis has been done using the clay mineralogy. These data enables to reconstruct the ancient environmental and climatic condition during the deposition. Samples were dried in an oven up to 65°c temperature for a week and grinded to finest level in Retch RS200.Raw XRD data receive were analysed in X'Pert high software. SEM samples were prepared by disintegrating sandstone with Hydrogen peroxide. Equal sized quartz grains were analyzed under Carl Zeiss Merlin Compact 6073 Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope and their surface textures observed. Three major clays (Smectite, Illite and Kaolinite) have been identified for the correlation with different sections. The percentage of these three clays calculated manually. Presence of high Smectite with Kaolinite indicates warm humid environment of formation, with rainfall ranging from 50-150 cm, higher amount of Smectite over Kaolinite indicates variation in seasonality during the deposition.