Palm leaves from the Late Oligocene sediments of Makum Coalfield, Assam, India

Gaurav Srivastava (1) , R. C. Mehrotra (1) , Hugues Bauer (2)

1 Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany
2 BRGM - Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM)

Two new palm leaf impressions, cf. Iguanura wallichiana and Palmacites makumensis sp. nov. are described from the Makum Coalfield, Tinsukia District, Assam. They belong to the Tikak Parbat Formation being considered as Late Oligocene (Chattian 28-23 Myr) in age. Their presence, along with the other known fossil records indicates that CMMT (cold month mean temperature) was not less than 18A degrees C with plenty of rainfall, in the region during the period of deposition.

Keywords: Arecaceae; Assam; India; Late Oligocene; Makum Coalfield; fossil palms; Tikak Parbat Formation; northeast India

Domains: Earth Sciences

Gaurav Srivastava, R. C. Mehrotra, Hugues Bauer. Palm leaves from the Late Oligocene sediments of Makum Coalfield, Assam, India. Journal of Earth System Science, 2012, 121 (3), pp.747-754. ⟨10.1007/s12040-012-0179-5⟩. ⟨hal-00863077⟩