Fluvial Architecture of Permian Sandstones, West Bengal, India

FLUVIAL ARCHITECTURE IS A NEW DOMAIN THAT NEEDS TO BE WORKED UPON. HEIRARCHY OF BOUNDING SURFACES AND IDENTIFICATION OF ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS HELPS IN PROPER IDENTIFICATION OF THE FLUVIAL PATTERNS. HERE, I HAVE TRIED TO DECIPHER THE FLUVIAL PATTERN OF THE CONCERNED AREA ON THE BASIS OF THE ARCHITECTURAL CLUES THAT HAVE BEEN LEFT ON THE SANDSTONES(PERMIAN) EXPOSED ALONG MUCHKUNDA AND BANSPETALI NALA SECTIONS, PURULIA DISTRICT, WEST BENGAL, INDIA. THE AREA FALLS UNDER RANIGANJ COALFIELD, WHICH HAS BEEN THE BIRTHPLACE OF INDIAN COAL INDUSTRY AND HENCE HAS BEEN THE CENTRE OF INTEREST OF NUMEROUS WORKERS. BUT THE PERMIAN SANDSTONES OF THE RANIGANJ BASIN HAD NOT BEEN STUDIED NOR TRIED AND TESTED WITH THE NEW CONCEPTS OF SEDIMENTOLOGY. THE BAR FORMS IN THE AREA ARE MOSTLY IDENTIFIED AS MID CHANNEL BARS. THE PALAEO-RIVER APPEARS TO BE SEMI-PERENNIAL IN NATURE. THE OVERALL FLUVIAL PATTERN IN THE AREA IS MOSTLY ANASTOMIZING IN NATURE.