‘Reptinted from
‘Tas Quaarinty JounxaL Grotoorcat, Mouso & Meanruncicat Society oF TXDiA
Vol. $i, No. 1 Mateh 1979, Puges 4a
PLEISTOCENE SEDIMENTS OF TRIPURA?
Sun Dasourra
Galopea! Surrey of Inala. Apareta-7O9N0
Abstract
‘The post-Tipam sediments of Tripura form a
prt of the fuvial wedimentation in the Bengal
Basin during the Pleistocene and curly Revwnt
times deposited from the Gangt-Feahmupstrae
‘Moyo HvEr ep\Tem, The sediments ure developed
= terraces along the present-lay rer valleys,
sometimes. forminy campinys ver small Tiga
Lillocks, The pout-Tipam formations, aygregate
tihlekness 5 to 40 meters, cousist af unconsolidated
Introduction
‘The youngest geologic formation of
Tripura is the post-Tipam, Dupi Tila formar
tion of Pleistocene age, which is of Muviatile
origin, In this paper the sedimentary
features of these sediments are bricily
discussed along with a note on the other
Pleistovene Quiviatile sediments of the Benes!
Basi ond adjacent eens
Fieistocene Geology of the Bengal Basin
Pleistonene. sediments occur ae elewated
Jandmasses in the form of terraces in
Gifferent parts of the Bengal Basin (Fig. 1)
Four main outcrops of Pleistocene diuvinl
sediments and a few smaller ouiliers are
Known from this area. The westorn-most
‘ovterop borders the Raimakal hills extend
ing from east of Midnapur in the south to
northwest of Murshidsbad in the north.
sediments comprised of sand, ait and clay and
Benerally overlies the Tipag rocks unconforensbly
The wppst part af the suevesion is oxidiced 10
brownish sity sand, and he lower part is charsc-
terised by ceosscbedded white sandlenser a
claysiockets, Curieat direction oblained on sand
Jeatea Indkates conformity with the present busin
Hope and current stern supgests deposition of
sediments fn 9 mandering iver system.
The easier one borders the Tate Testiary
folded belt of Tripura, ‘These deposits cous
jn an sreuate pattern covering the western,
northwestern and northern borders af Tris
pura extending further northeast into the
Cochar valley of Assam, The other two
major Pleistocene outerops are the Ba
and the Madhupur Jungle within the Bengal
Basin. ‘The Baring fanidmass occurs between
the fiver Ganges: nd Brahmeputea ond
the Madhupor Jungle lies between the Brahe
‘maputra and the Meghna. Smaller outctops
fe knows from the Lalisai ills aad Sylhet
bills of Bangladesh
Neotectonic activity in this _segion,
pasticulaely thet of the Borind and Madha-
pur Jungle, has been discussed by Morgan
and McIntyre (1959). The sediments are
traversed “by a number of faults mostly
‘vending NWSE. These uplifted land-
1 Published Witt the klod permission of the Director General, G.I.
end before the Society on September 23, 1978.2 suurr DASOUPEA
rl
‘masses, occurring in the form of terraces,
origmated possibly due to the slow subs
dence of the Bengal deita with compensatory
inland uph
The general cherater of the sediments
are brownish-red highly oxidized unconso-
lidated sand, it and clay with ferreginows
and calcareous concretions. These sediments
were deposited fram the Ganges—Brahine-
utra—Meghna river system duting the Plcis-
tocene and early Recent period.
Geology of The Area
‘The Tripura hills comprise of shales and
sandstones, belonging to the Summa and
‘Tipam Ssries of Mic-Pliocene age, thrown
jato, N-Strending folds with s series of
anticline: and synclines whose axes form an
areconvex towards the west. ‘Towards the
north the folds plunge below the Pleistocene
and Recent sediments of the Sylhet basin,
(von. SE
ES) pretsrocenes
[ED leryaokerrcne
‘The Surma Series, consisting of Bhuban and
Boka Bil stage, and the overlying Tipam
Seties represent an uninterrupted sequence
of Tate Tertiary sediments. Post-Tipam
‘unconformity is not widely developed and
is encountered in a few sections. Fluvial
sediments of Pleistocene and Recent age are
developed im the synclinal valleys. These
post-Tipam sediments ate probably time
equivalent with the Dupi Tila formation of
Assam. However, hereafter these deposits
will be referred to as the ‘post-Tipam’ forma
tion.
‘Occurrence of the Post-Tipams
Following the arcuate pattern of the
‘older rocks, the post-Tipam sediment fringes
the western and northem border of Tripura
(Fig. 2.).passing into the Cachar valley of
Assam. These sediments are alsa developed
in the Comilla and Sylhet districts of Bangla-
Joesno. 1]
desh, bordeting Tripura in its west and
nonth.
Fige.
‘The sediments mostly occur as patches
within the synolinal valleys overlying the
older rocks. Except near Sonamura where
thoy have been found to overlap the Baka
UUSTOCENN sHOIMENTS OF rRIFURA a3
‘Bil rocks, generally the post-Tipam overlies
‘the Tipam rocks unconformably, The sedi-
ments are developed along. the present day
river valleys, nd terrace physiogruphy. of
the deposits is prominent where human
activity Is less, Tkalso occurs as cappings
‘ever small Tipam hillocks.
‘Sedimentary Features
‘The thickness of the post Trpam forma-
tion, varies from 5 to 50m and consists of
unconsolidated sediments comprising of sand,
silt and clay, Sandstone fragments, calcareous
cancretions, moderately rounded quartz
Pebbles, ferruginous clay nodules and frage
ments of fossil wood are the other detrital
The upper part of the sedimentary column
shows intense ferrugination with a brownish-
red colour. Lenses and pockets of white sand
and clay are cominon and particularly the
later are encircled bya thin band of iron
oxide, The upper part boing more oxidized
is apparently deyoid of sedimentary siruc-
tures but a close observation shows a
“uf, adhokishorpw
Current potern from Relotseene Copostie Inthe Gut veiey:4 sunT pascUETA
fining upward sequence from sand to silty
lay. Small-seale oross-bedding characterizes
the sandy lenses, and slump structures: ate
present along the sand/silt contact. Quartz,
feldspar, muscovite, biotite, chforite and
some minerals are present in the sandy
Tenses, Organic matter is only limited to the
profile.
‘Current pattern from Pleistocene
deposits in tne khowai valley.
Fig 4
[vou 5t
Céost stratification i aboidant in the
sundy horizon, Thickness of individual
cross-bedded unit varies from 10 to 40cm
and the forescts dip fiom Sto 20°. Foreset
azimuths were measured ftom individval
‘outerops. and the eurrent pattern obtained is
plotted separately for exposures in the Gumti
and Khowai volleys ( Figs 3.4).
Stratigraphy of the post-Tipam forma-
tion is simple and a few sections are
discussed below.
Sonwrura (Fig $a). The lowermost
‘unit expased sboxe the road level is prey
plastic clay overlain by 4 1.5m thick cross
bedded sand that passes upward to a ferre-
‘einons silty sand, ‘The sandy unit is greyish
white in colour with quartz, feldspar, aiea
‘and thagnetite, Small flat clay pebbles are
are oriented along the foreset of the cross
beds. Fossil wood fragments and quartz, are
distributed througout the section.
Phulluenarl (Fig, Sb) The post-Tipim
‘unconformity is Well developed in this
section. Above the Tipam sandstone the
conglomerate horizon is with quartz pebble,
shake fragment and fossil wood with coarse
sand that shows eross-bedding. This is
overlain bya muicaceous silty clay and. sub-
sequently by a 2.5m thick-sand, fresh and
white in colour, ‘The topmost part of the
fection is brownish-red silty sand,
Tibrubart (Fig, Sc). At Tibeubari the
Tipam sandstone is overlain useonformably
(angular) by white sand that shows eross-
bedding. The sandy unit is lensoid end in
section has a dimension of 25m x35 m,
‘The upper 4.5m is ferriginous brownish
red silty sand,
Ghanlaniora (Fig. Sa). White clay is
exposed in the road level above whieh iswo. 1]
sand horizon 1.5 m thick that grades upward
toa brownish red silty sand,
‘Conclusion
‘The post-Tipam sediments of Tripara
were deposited from the rivers that were in
Ferraginous|
silty sone
Fg 5
Muansrocese sens OF murvRA a5
existence during the Pleistocene period,
The sediments crop out along the present
day river valleys and actually are older
{erruces of the present rivers, The sund-lenscs
axe probably the channel deposits of the
main river of its tributaries, the elay-lonses
Strotigrophic sections of Post Tipam sediments.46 sur pascUrTN
being the subchannel deposits, and the
silty-sand horizon was deposited trom high-
discharge flood-waters, Curent pattern
obtained from these sediments is also
indicative of deposition from a meandering
river, ‘The rivers originating fram the hills
of Tripura drain cither to north or west
‘and join the Meghna viver or its tribuearies
in Comilla or Sylhet districts of Bangladesh.
‘The post-Tipam sediments are very thin in
‘Tripura and become thicker in Bangladesh,
Lyon, St
in its downsireash’ dinestion, such as in the
Lalmai and Sylhet hills. Neotectonic activity
in this region could not however be appre-
ciated fram field work. Future study of
acrial photographs will probably bring out
the stractares. .
‘Acknowledgements
‘The author is thankful to Mrs Kalyon
Sackar and Mr- Hibitesh Bhattachary!
logiste, for their co-operation during the field
work.
Goo-
Reference
Daceupta, 5. ond Bhattacharya, 1975. Geological
mapping of paris of the Kiewal, Hon nnd
Lahr valleys, West Tripura : Unpub Report
Geol, Surv, Hada for 1974-75.
Morais, J. P- and Metntgee, W, G , 1959, Quater,
‘niwy Geology of the Beepal Basin, Fast
Pakistan snl Eels + Bull, Geol, Sac, Amer
3.70, p, 319392,
Sotkar, K. and’ Dasgupta, $1974, Geological
‘upping and related studies on geomorpholo:
lel and favisl protests Io. the Gum basin,
Tripura z Unpub. Report Geol Surv, India
for 1973-74
Explanation of Figures
Fig. 1. Goological sketch map of Benes! Rasin and
‘dacont areas showing the distribution of ple»
istogone sediments (After Morgan and Mein
tore, 1359).
Fig 2 Geolosical map of Tripura showine
Aisirebation of Pllstocene sediments.
Fig, 4. Current pattern from pleistaceoe deposits
fn the Guest walle:
Fig. Coisent pattern from Plelstacene deposits
initie Khowai valley.
Fig. £ Stratignaphie sections of post-Tipam sedi«
ents