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High-resolution seismic imaging of the Sohagpur Gondwana basin, central India: Evidence for syn-sedimentary subsidence and faulting

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Gondwana sedimentary basins in the Indian Shield preserve a rich record of tectonic, sedimentary and volcanic processes that affected Gondwanaland. The Gondwana rocks were deposited in the linear rift basins that were formed during Permian–Cretaceous time, similar to their neighbours in Australia, Africa and Antarctica. In this study, we illustrate how Gondwana tectonics affected the Sohagpur Gondwana basin that occurs at the junction of the Mahanadi and Son–Narmada rift systems in the central India, through a high-resolution seismic reflection study along six profiles, covering the central part of the Sohagpur basin. The study reveals (1) ∼1000 m thick, gently dipping Barakar Formation, (2) thick coal seams at a depth of 350–550 m, and (3) NNW–SSE to NW–SE striking steeply dipping normal faults defining rift geometry. These results indicate that the Sohagpur basin contains a thick Lower Gondwana sedimentary succession with a high potential of coal resources and were affected by extensional tectonics. The rift structure in the study area is a syn- to post-sedimentary deformational structure that was formed arguably in response to tectonics that pervasively affected Gondwanaland.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank members of the Engineering Geophysics Division for support in the field data acquisition; Reliance Industries Limited for the financial support; Director, NGRI for encouragement and permission to publish this paper. They also thank the anonymous reviewer and the Associate Editor for the constructive comments, which significantly improved the manuscript.

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  1. National Geophysical Research Institute, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500 606, India

    K Dhanam, P Senthil Kumar, D Mysaiah, P Prabhakara Prasad & T Seshunarayana

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  1. K Dhanam
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  2. P Senthil Kumar
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  3. D Mysaiah
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  4. P Prabhakara Prasad
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Correspondence to K Dhanam.

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Dhanam, K., Kumar, P.S., Mysaiah, D. et al. High-resolution seismic imaging of the Sohagpur Gondwana basin, central India: Evidence for syn-sedimentary subsidence and faulting. J Earth Syst Sci 122, 1495–1505 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-013-0362-3

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