Miocene Wood Assemblage from the Saurashtra Basin, Gujarat and Its Climatic Significance

The plant fossil record of Bhavnagar is poorly documented despite its importance in understanding the evolution of Asian monsoonal ecosystems through time. Three genera of the families Fabaceae and Combretaceae are described from the Gaj Formation of Saurashtra Basin, Gujarat. The sediments of this formation are exposed around Lakhanka-Mithi Virdi villages in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat and considered of early to middle Miocene in age. This is the first plant fossil record from the region of this age. The described fossil woods i.e. Hopeoxylon speciosum (Navale) Awasthi, Millettioxylon palaeopulchra Lakhanpal et al., and Terminalia tomentosa Wight and Arn. are found similar to the modern genera Sindora Miq., Millettia Wight & Arn (Fabaceae) and Terminalia L. (Combretaceae), respectively. The present distribution of modern comparable forms of the fossil taxa suggests existence of tropical to subtropical forests and warm and humid climatic conditions in the region during the Miocene in contrast to the sub-humid to dry climate seen today.