Trace Fossils and Sedimentary Depositional Environment: A Case Study from Early Permian Barakar Formation, Raniganj Basin, India

Behavioral responses of organisms with respect to changing environment have a wide area research possibility. For palaeontologist it is challenge interpret the organism-sediment interaction from study trace fossils preserved in ancient rock record. The ethological significance which derived out different intentional or accidental activities may be within and largely controlled by substrate stability, grain size sediments, energy rate sedimentation driving process, types nutrients its supply, salinity, temperature oxic/sub-oxic/an-oxic conditions etc. So, viability this sensu stricto depends on preservation potential organism as whole parts (indirect evidences) upon they survived thousands millions years ago. indirect evidences organism’s locomotory/respiration/feeding/resting/dwelling/predating traces nomenclature based their morphological classification. encompassing major river section Barakar, Khudia, Ajoy holds partly enriched impoverished sedimentary rocks hosting huge reserves coal. There are several concepts regarding depositional setting studied basin like formerly interpreted fluvio-lacustrine model recently reinterpreted fluvio-tide-wave dominated model. Several invertebrate been recorded namely Planolites, Thalassinoides, Ophiomorpha, Palaeophycus, Cylindrichnus, Diplocraterion indicates diverse environmental settings ranging supratidal/intertidal/subtidal continental shelves whereas other solo/uniform observed Chondrites, Skolithos, Rhizocorallium indicator shallow subtidal marine quite water setting. Here additional challenges include lack ample exposures, weathered exposed sections, inaccessible mine cut absence body controversial identification differential erosive surfaces. This chapter short has tried mitigate these problems integrated ichnological facies association studies delineating basin.