Vol. 4, No.2, July, 2019 pp. 133-142 Palaeocurrent Pattern of Permian Barakar and Motur Formations in South-Western Part of Satpura Basin, Central India A.M. Pophare*, B.H. Raut and I.K. Sheikh Department of Geology, RTM Nagpur University, Nagpur-440001, India *E-mail-apophare@gmail.com Abstract The Gondwana sequence in Satpura basin comprises Talchir, Barakar, Motur and Bijori formations. Palaeocurrent data evaluated from cross bedding as directional measure confined to Permian Barakar and Motur formations in Satpura basin. Palaeocurrent analysis deduced from 1700 cross stratification from Barakar and Motur formations yielded northerly and north-westerly palaeocurrent direction and palaeoslope. Rose diagrams of palaeocurrent data show strong unimodal pattern and moderate to high variability response to deltaic environment and braided river in Barakar and braided, low sinuous river for Motur sedimentation. The mean palaeocurrent for Barakar Formation is Normaland for Motur sandstone it is 329.09°. Modest change in mean direction between Barakar and Motur, suggest post tectonic stable phase of sedimentation. Deviation in statistical parameter between Barakar and Motur may result due to channel flow variability, climatic variability, syn-depositional subsidence or shift in depositional axis of basin due to tectonic activity. Keyword: Palaeocurrent direction, Palaeoslope, Cross stratification, Barakar and Motur sandstone, Satpura Gondwana basin, Central India. Introduction In sedimentary basin analysis, palaeocurrent, palaeoslope and palaeocirculation have immense importance for understanding the basin history (Potter and Pettijohn, 1977; Miall, 1999). These parameters allow prediction of the direction of local or regional palaeoslope, which reflect the tectonic subsidence pattern, direction of sediments supply, geometry and trend of lithological unit and depositional environments. Palaeocurrent refers to an ancient sediment dispersal pattern attributed by many sedimentary structures like groove mark, channels, washouts, parting, lineation (as a planer measure) and cross stratification, cross lamination, ripple mark (as a directional measure) (Rao and Sengupta, 1972). However, the palaeocurrent data obtained from directional measures of the sediment is considered as more reliable indicator than planer measures (Dott, 1973; High and Picard, 1974; Sounderson, 1976). The Gondwana successions of peninsular India accumulated in a number of discrete basins during Permo- Triassic period. The essential requisites of Gondwana stratigraphic units were glacial boulder bed to start within most of the basins, followed by sandstone, shale and coal in ascending sequence in the lower part that deposited largely in fluvio-lacustrine environment. Fluvial signatures are well preserved in Gondwana lithounits and have been widely used in palaeocurrent analysis. The paleo-ice transport and palaeocurrent studies carried out in different Gondwana basins of Penninsular India yielded northerly and north-westerly palaeoslope during early phase of Gondwana sedimentation comprising mostly lower Gondwana facies (Casshyap, 1979; Tewari, 1999). Long live north-westerly palaeoslope was completely reversed during late phase of Gondwana sedimentation in late Jurassic/Early Cretaceous owing to tectonic event resulted in widespread faulting and uplift of Permo-Triassic Gondwana sediments and basement rocks (Casshyap ., 1993b; Veever and Tewari, 1995; Tewari and Casshyap, 1996). The Satpura basin is westernmost Gondwana basin exposed in the Peninsular region encompassing range of siliciclastic sediments from Permian to Cretaceous (Crookshank, 1936). The Satpura basin is an extensional basin, relatively long in the ENE-WSW direction, marked by the ENE-WSW trending Son-Narmada south fault in the north and Tapti north fault in the south and reflect on as pull apart basin with left stepping strike-slip zones and the presence of intra-basinal faults (Chakraborty and Ghosh, 2005). The basin feed by both transverse and axial sediments dispersal pattern. et al