Language: English
From the foreword:
"The Vindhyan sediments attracted the attention of geologists for palaeobiological evidence since the beginning of the last century when some carbonaceous markings in shales in the Neemuch district, Madhya Pradesh were reported. Since then the Vindhyans were the centre of attention for multiple reasons. It not only yielded economic minerals like diamonds, pyrite, limestone, dolomite and not to mention such prosaic item like building stone etc. but also searched for evidences of life, basin evolution and sedimentary tectonics. Attempts are being made to search for hydrocarbons. It occupies a large area covering Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan making it the largest Proterozoic Basin in the Indian subcontinent. The Vindhyans attain a huge thickness which can be measured in kilometers. With the present understanding of the Vindhyan Supergroup, these rocks represent a time period beginning from 1800 to 600 Ma covering a time gap of 1200 Ma. This is a time when most important changes took place on earth in atmosphere, biosphere and lithosphere. Thus, the Vindhyan sediments are the repository of such changes and significant inferences can be achieved if these sediments are given due attention. A very important thing about these sediments is that these rocks are virtually unmetamorphosed and least deformed with excellent preservation of sedimentary structures. Thus, these rocks are well suited for field training of both under and post-graduate students. These can also be an ideal material for unraveling the mysteries of nature by research scholars.
The present guide book can be a good starting point for both students and research workers. It has all the details about the updated information on the Vindhyan Basin in general and for the Son Valley in particular. For each traverse it also summarizes geology for the beginners. An added advantage in the guide book is an extended bibliography on the Vindhyan Basin. I am very hopeful that this publication will be useful for all those who are interested in the Vindhyan Basin."