G.L. Badam¹, N.G. Thakur² and A.M. Varade^3*

¹26/1-4, Hermes Paras-3, Kalyani Nagar, Pune-411006, India

²Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University Amravati-444602, India

³Department of Geology, RTM Nagpur University Nagpur-440001, India

*E-mail: varade2010@gmail.com

Abstract

Recently, the discovered Vadod locality in the Purna basin has brought to light numerous mammalian fossil remains belonging mainly to Bos namadicus, Equus namadicus and Bos/Bubalus. This discovery in conjunction with previously reported fossil site of Kapileshwar, a well established fossiliferous section of the Purna basin, has confirmed rich fossiliferous nature of the Purna basin, subsequent to the Narmada valley of Central India. The 9 m thick stratigraphic sequence exposed at the Vadod locality has yielded rich faunal assemblage of bovids and equids, indicating perennially available grassland and abundant supply of water i.e., savanna landscape, in the Purna basin during Middle-Late Pleistocene times. The present study has significant bearing on the palaeo-geographic distribution of the animals along with palaeo- environmental implications in Central India. Further excavations and discoveries of more localities for retrieval of palaeobiological data will help to reconstruct, more precisely, the palaeoenvironmental conditions of the Purna basin, vis′-a vis′ other localities in the Central Indian region.

Keywords: Purna alluvial valley, Quaternary sediments, Palaeoenvironment, Vadod, Maharashtra, Central India.