Crystallographic study of vertebrate fossils from the Central Narmada valley, India

Abstract

The Narmada River originates in eastern Madhya Pradesh near Amarkantak (200 40′ N, 81 46′ E), travels through Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat before emptying into the Gulf of Cambay in the Arabian Sea, close to Baruch in Gujarat. Numerous fossil discoveries in the region include various mammals, reptiles, fishes, amphibians, and molluscan shells. In addition to being a rare mid-continental location in the Old World, the Narmada Valley has traditionally served as a line delineating Northern and Southern India. This valley has produced countless animal fossils as well as a few human fossils. This has been a crucial route for the movement of both faunal migrations from the north to the south and the transmission of the monsoons from the southeast to the northwest. The present work examines the crystallization index of the faunal fossils from three (Barmanghat,Talayyaghat,Devakachar) localities in the Central Narmada valley falling within the region of Madhya Pradesh. Fossil samples were subjected to X-Ray diffraction in order to calculate the Crystallization index as a direct indicator of the degree of fossilization. The materials of Narmada river valley have been studied extensively by previous scholars; however, this study is first attempt to study the fossils using scientific technique such as XRD.