TITLE:
Late Cretaceous Climate of the Indian Subcontinent
AUTHORS:
Vandana Prasad
KEYWORDS:
Deccan Volcanic Province (DVP), Pollen, Spores, Plant Mega Fossils, Paleoecology
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Geology,
Vol.9 No.10,
September
25,
2019
ABSTRACT: The Deccan Volcanism during the Late Cretaceous was a globally significant geological event, coinciding with the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary. The magma outpouring occurred in three phases. The flora that got preserved during the first phase (30N) was a mixed gymnosperm and angiosperm flora ranging from dry to moist forest vegetation. The second phase (29R) flora is mostly represented by pteridophytes and tropical to sub-tropical angiosperm plant families. The palynofloral records from the third phase (29N) are mostly tropical angiosperms. This floral turn-over is driven by latitudinal shifting of the Indian plate from sub-tropical to tropical zone. It is surmised that the latitudinal shifting of Indian plate during the span of 4 Ma during the Late Maastrichtian led to the development of new ecological conditions favoring successful dominance of angiosperms over gymnosperms.