International Research Journal of Earth Sciences______________________________________ ISSN 2321–2527Vol. 2(8), 7-9, September (2014) Int. Res.J. Earth Sci. International Science Congress Association       
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Use of Microfossils to Decipher the Paleo-environment of tertiary Sediments 
of Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, India
Suryawanshi R.A. and Golekar R.B.2 
Department of Geology, Yashwantrao Chavan College of Science Karad, 415124, MS, INDIA 
Department of Civil Engineering, Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji College of Engineering, Rahuri, Dist. Ahmednagar – 437006, MS, INDIA Available online at: 
www.isca.in, www.isca.me
Received 21st August 2014, revised 10th September 2014, accepted 24th September 2014 Abstract
The present study area is a part of coastal track, belongs to Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra (INDIA). The geological setting 
of the area, Deccan basalt are invariably capped by laterite and in subordinate amount of bauxite. The Tertiary sediments 
are sandwiched between the laterite, while in some sections, they overly directly on the basaltic lava flow. The lignite, shale 
and carbonaceous shales of these deposits are very rich of leaf cuticles along with the pollens and spores. In present work 
emphasis has given to decipher environment of deposition of these sediments with the help of microfossils. Hence collect the 
lignite sample ourselves from well sections of Ratnagiri district. In present study three types of Leaf cuticles recovered from 
lignite samples as Nypa palm, Diospyros microphylla and Sonneratia type. Ecological distribution of the modern 
equivalents of these microfossils clearly indicates that these sediments may possibly have deposited in deltaic to estuarine 
environment. 
Keywords: Lignite, microfossils, deltaic to estuarine environment, tertiary sediments Ratnagiri, Maharashtra (India) 
Introduction 
The coastal track of Maharashtra, delineated by shore line of the 
Arabian sea and lofty scrap face of Western Ghats have always 
attracted the attention of geoscientists. After the eruption of 
Deccan volcanism in Upper Cretaceous to Lower Eocene period 
this part of the earth remained non depositional except few 
patches of Tertiary sediments along the coast, which are studied 
by Rajguru and Marathe, Suryawanshi. A preliminary report 
on the microfossils of Ratnagiri lignite has been given by 
Phadtare and Kulkarni; Dalvi and Kulkarni. The lignite, shale 
and carbonaceous shales of these deposits are very rich of leaf 
cuticles along with the pollens and spores. Well preserved leaf 
impressions are also observed in lignite.  
 
Geology of Study area: The study area is a coastal tract which 
lies between Jaigarh creek in the North (Latitude 17 10 N and 
Longitude 73 25’ E) to Pavas creek in the south (Latitude 160 
50’ N and long. 73° 10' E). This area lies in Toposheet number 7 
G/3, G/7, G/8 and H/5. The area is composed of Deccan basalts, 
which are invariably capped by laterite and in subordinate 
amount of bauxite. The Tertiary sediments are found to be 
sandwiched between the laterite, while in some sections, they 
overly directly on the basaltic lava flows. The microfossil 
bearing tertiary sediments are 50-60 m amsl and 500m from sea. 
Well preserved leaf impressions are observed in the lignite 
(figure 1) from Ratnagiri area of Maharashtra (India). 
 
Material and Methods 
The lignite samples were collected from well sections of 
Ratnagiri which containing numerous compressed and dried up 
leaves served as a source material for this investigation. The 
cuticles were recovered from lignite by treating the sample with 
the concentrated nitric acid solution followed by 10% KOH 
solution for ten minutes. The cuticles covered were thoroughly 
washed by distilled water and have been mounted in canada 
balsam. The slides so prepared, are studied under Leitz 
microscope, by using both high power and power objectives. 
Figure -1 Well preserved leaf impressions in the lignite from Ratnagiri, Maharashtra 
 
Results and Discussion 
The present study three types of Leaf cuticles recovered from 
lignite samples as Nypa palm, Diospyros microphylla and 
Sonneratia type. 
International Research Journal of Earth Sciences____________________________________________________ ISSN 2321–2527 Vol. 2(8), 7-9, September (2014)     Int. Res. J. Earth Sci. International Science Congress Association             
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Palm/ Nypa type: The epidermis of leaf cuticle is hypostomatic 
with hair base characteristic stomatas. The stomatas are present 
both the surfaces, but more common on the abaxial epidermis, 
than on the adaxial epidermis. As has been seen in (figure 2), 
each stomata is with a pair of heavily cutinised sunken cells. It 
has also been observed that the adaxial epidermis is uniform and 
cannot be differentiated coastal and inter-coastal regions. The 
cells of adaxial epidermis of leaf cuticles are rectangular in 
shape, transversely extended and are found to be arranged in 
longitudinal files (figure 3).  
 
 
Figure – 2 
Stomata is with a pair of heavily cutinised sunken cells 
(Palm/ Nypa type) 
 
 
Figure – 3 
Cells of adaxial epidermis of leaf cuticles are rectangular in 
shape (Palm/ Nypa type)
 
The cells surrounding hair basis are irregularly arranged. The 
abaxial epidermis can be differentiated into narrow coastal and 
very inter-coastal regions. The coastal cells are rectangular in 
shape and are oriented in longitudinal fashion, whereas, inter-
coastal cells are squares to rectangular in shape and somewhat 
transversely extended. These are arranged in longitudinal rows 
with typical wavy pattern.  Stomatas are observed to be 
restricted to the abaxial inter-coastal regions. Similar 
observations have been made by Dilcher 1965 by using the 
paratetracytic terminology. The subsidiary cells rectangular, 
transversely oriented, short and wide, partially overarching the 
guard cells. The lateral subsidiary cells are oval shaped guard 
cells with thin walls. The guard cells are much larger than the 
other epidermal cells. Each cell is characterised with small 
cutinised horizontal ledges, which are seen in the form of fine 
transverse lines in the surface view on many stomatas. The outer 
walls of the stomatas are cutinized, whereas, inner walls are 
none cutinised. 
 
Diagnostic features: Following are the most diagnostic features 
exhibited by epidermis. These cuticles are hypostomatic in 
nature with presence of peculiar stomata like sunken hair bases 
on both surfaces. Adaxial epidermis is with transversely 
extended cells. These are arranged in longitudinal rows. The 
abaxial epidermis with narrow coastal and very wide inter-
coastal bands. The inter-coastal cells are arranged in some what 
wavy longitudinal files, and stomatas are of paratetracytic, 
which are restricted to inter-coastal bands. The terminal 
subsidiary cells are short, wide and slightly overarching the 
guard cells and lateral subsidiary cell. The guard cells are much 
larger than other epidermal cells with many horizontal ledges. 
On the basis of the characteristic features described above, it is 
clearly seen that these leaf cuticles are belonging to Palm 
variety. The caryotoid palm and Nypa type aim are 
characterised by transverse bands of guard cells. However, the 
caryotoid palms have cylindrical hair base, composed of several 
sclerotic cells surrounding one or more walled cells. But in 
Nypa palm variety peculiar stomata hair base, consisting only of 
two cutinised cells are found to be observed. 
 
Diospyros Microphylla: The epidermis of leaf cuticle of 
diospyros microphylla is hypostomatic and it is differentiated 
into coastal and inter-coastal areas. The coastal bands are found 
to be narrow branching pattern. The coastal cells are rectangular 
in shape with thick walls and are extended longitudinally. While 
inter-coastal areas are broader with squarish to polygonal cells, 
having straight cells walls, and are arranged random fashion 
with stomatas restricted to inter-coastal only. The stomatas are 
of sunken type with kidney shaped guard cells. The contact of 
all the walls shows typical ‘T’ shape with thicker inner walls 
and outer walls are comparatively thin. The hair bases are 
restricted to the abaxial surface only. They are common and 
observed on coastal as well as inter-coastal areas. Each hair base 
is characterized thin walled basal cell surrounded by a ring of 
highly cutinised cells (figure-4). 
 
Sonneratia type: The leaf cuticle of sonneratia type of palm is 
also recorded in the lignite beds of Ratnagiri area. The leaf 
cuticle of sonneratia type is isobilateral. Abaxial epidermis 
provided with cuticle ridges. The epidermal cells are pentagonal 
to polygonal in shape and are not differentiated into coastal and 
inter-coastal area. The cells walls are thick present in a straight 
line. The cells are randomly arranged. The stomatas are frequent 
on both the surfaces, but common on the abaxial epidermis than 
International Research Journal of Earth Sciences____________________________________________________ ISSN 2321–2527 Vol. 2(8), 7-9, September (2014)     Int. Res. J. Earth Sci. International Science Congress Association             
9
 
adaxial epidermis. The stomata are deeply sunken type, 
subsidiary cells are rectangular, transversely oriented, thin and 
elongated, overarching the guard cells. The guard cells are 
smaller than epidermal cells. The central portion of stomata 
consists of aqueous tissue containing branched 
sclerenchymatous idioblasts. The stomata are arranged in 
irregular fashion on abaxial and adaxial epidermal surfaces 
(figure 5). 
  
Figure – 4  
Thin walled basal cell surrounded by a ring of highly 
cutinised cells (Diospyros Microphylla) 
 
 
Figure – 5 
Stomata are arranged in irregular fashion on abaxial and 
adaxial epidermal surfaces (Sonneratia type) 
 
 
Conclusion
The Nypa palm and Sonneratia species inhabit mangrove. They 
are provided with vertical branches of root projecting into air or 
water above the mud.  These ecological habitats can found with 
in the range of deltaic to fresh water swamps to estuarine 
depositional environment and at low altitude ever green to open 
forests. Ecological distribution of the modern equivalents of 
these microfossils clearly indicate that these sediments could 
have deposited in deltaic to estuarine environment which are 
60m above present sea level and 500m from sea coast. 
 
Acknowledgment  
The study was carried out under the teacher fellowship awarded 
by the University Grants Commission to the author for 
completion of this work is gratefully acknowledged.
References 1.Rajguru S.N. and Marathe A.R., Neotectonic Activity Around Ratnagiri, Western India Proceeding Symp, Quaternary Episodes Dept. of Geology M. S. Uni. Baroda, 1-6 (1984)2.Suryawanshi R.A., Sedimentological and Related Studies of the Sediments Exposed Along the Coast, Dist. Ratnagiri, Ph.D. Thesis submitted to Shivaji University Kolhapur (unpublished) (1995)3.Phadtare and Kulkarni, Palynological investigation of Ratnagiri lignite Maharashtra Geophytology, 10(2), 158-170 (1980)4.Dalvi N.S. and Kulkarni, Leaf Cuticles from Lignite Beds of Ratnagiri District Maharashtra, Geophytology,12(2), 223-232 (1982)5.Suryawanshi R.A.and Golekar R.B., Geochemistry of sub-surface Tertiary - Sediments of Ratnagiri District, Maharashtra, India, International Journal of Advances in Earth Sciences, 3(1), 1-12 (2014)6.Dilcher D.L., Epiphyllous Fungi From Eocene Deposits in Western Tennessee, U.S.A. Palaeonographica 116B 1-54 (1965)
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