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Relict benthic foraminifera in surface as well as sub-surface sediment off

Gopalpur- Palur, Odisha: Indicator of sea level changes

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Indian Journal of Geo Marine Sciences
Vol. 46 (10), October 2017, pp. 1945-1949

Relict benthic foraminifera in surface as well as sub-surface sediment off

Gopalpur- Palur, Odisha: Indicator of sea level changes
Sachin Kumar Tripathi*1 & Sarath L.G.2
1
Geological Survey of India, M &CSD, Kolkata, 700091, India
2
Geological Survey of India, M &CSD, Mangalore, 575001, India
[*E-mail: stripathi208@gmail.com]

Received 24 April 2015 ; revised 13 June 2016

A conceptual frame work was proposed based on the occurrence of relict foraminiferal assemblage and soft coral
sclerites at different water depth between 60, 70 to 100 m, explain the sea level variation during different times in the geological
past. Faunal ecology and presence of relict sand body at different isobaths suggests an episodic sea level rise in this region.

[Keywords: Coral Sclerites, Sea level variation, Isobaths, faunal ecology].

Introduction
Despite of change in the atmospheric
variables, global sea-level rise is one of the good
markers of climatic change. Global atmospheric
temperature rise has a direct effect on ocean,
causing rise in ocean temperature and melting of
glaciers since Last Glacier Maxima (18,000 yrs
BP). Both these processes lead to rise in global
sea level changes1. These changes recorded in
oceanic sediments and it would consider as most
valuable record of palaeo-climate. Since Bay of
Bengal is one of unique sedimentary basin in the
Indian vicinity, where Ganga and Brahmaputra
river system bring a huge quantum of sediment
from Himalayan province and deposited over
continental shelf to form a vast deltaic and pro-
deltaic domain in the part of Bengal basin2, 3.
Introspect the palaeo-climatic changes and nature
of occurrences of smaller benthonic foraminifera,
recorded within the sediment column of the study
area was considered for detailed study. Because
these microorganisms are widely distributed in
the marine clam and are used as stratigraphic
guide. To understand the paleo-ecological
behavior of the microorganism, present work was
taken up along the Gopalpur - Palur coast area
(Fig. 1). Where, eastwardly flowing peninsular
river is debouching a huge load of sediments and
fresh water into slightly steeper continental shelf
and modifying the sub aqueous setup of the study
area. River discharge also affecting the
morphology, chemistry and ecological processes
of the fluvio-marine setup of the continental shelf.
The coarse sediment deposited at various depths
in the study area is not associated with present
day near shore sediments.
Materials and Methods
Twenty two (22) sediment samples (subsamples
of the gravity cores and representative samples of
grabs), collected from the water depth 50 to 120m
along the coast off Gopalpur- Palur between
latitude 190 00'-190 18' N and longitude 850 00' to
850 18' E during R.V. Samudra Kaustubh cruises,
as part of annual field season programme of
Geological Survey of India, were used for present
study. Here smaller benthonic foraminifera have
been used as a proxy for relative sea level
changes.
1946 INDIAN J. MAR. SCI., VOL. 46, NO. 10, OCTOBER 2017
Fig 1- Location map of study area off Gopalpur-Palur,
Odisha, India.
In laboratory, seabed samples were
naturally dried and reference portion of samples
were systematically taken for analysis. Reference
samples were soaked in 60 ml of 6% H2O2
(Hydrogen Peroxide) and left overnight to remove
organic content. Soaked samples were wet sieved
with running distilled water through fine nozzle
over 230 ASTM and 100 ASTM mesh sieves. The
separated +230 and +100 fractions were weighed
and preserved in separate labeled containers.
Representative parts of each sample were
thoroughly examined under stereo zoom
microscope for estimation of both terrigenous and
biogenic constituents in the samples. Tests of
micro fauna were picked, grouped and mounted
on micropaleontological trays.
Results
Washed residue of reference samples of
20 grab and subsamples of two gravity core
samples were analyzed, in which 11 samples
contain relatively large sized relict benthonic
foraminifera along with recent benthonic
foraminifera, are comparatively smaller in size
with smooth shells. Occurrence of anomalous
sediment in surface as well as sub surface samples
contain oxidized sand, chunks of carbonate
material with coral fragments, benthic
foraminifera, oolites, bivalves, gastropods and
burrows over submarine ridges. It seems that the
relict sand bodies at most of the places are
covered with recent sediment and their exposures
are limited throughout the east coast. Sample
from the relict zone contains large sized
benthonic foraminifers along with oolite grains.
At some locations the coral polyp and
Amphistegina sp., are highly broken and showing
some mechanical breaking on their test due to
transportation. Apart from surface samples; some
sub surface samples (ST-217/GC-11* and ST-
219/GC-3*), below 50 to 80 cm from the sea
surface, sediment samples contain ample number
of oolite grains and relict foraminiferal tests (Fig.
2). The occurrence of relict sand with relict
foraminifera and typical shallow water benthic
foraminiferal taxa at different deeper isobaths
(60m, 80m and 110m water depth) is also
observed.
Fig. 2- Relict forams and Oolite percent vs Depth diagram
showing the sea level variation.
Discussion
The relict foraminifera are dull and earthy
in appearance as compared to recent foraminifera.
Their dull and earthy luster may be due to lack of
burial in sediments which means that these tests
were exposed for a longer period and resulted
destruction of body texture. This implies that
these benthic foraminiferal tests remain attached
to the host sediment and develop secondary
feature by virtue of taphonomy. They had also
been noticed by Murray4 and Lahiri A5. Among
these relict tests some are prominent i.e.
Amphistegina lessonii, Amphistegina radiata,
Calcarina sp., Operculina ammoniodes.
Aveolinella sp., and coral sclerites (Plate-1).
Recorded sclerites belong to soft coral
assemblage of Siphonogorgra, Lemnalia,
Chronophthya, Subergorgia, Acalvoigorgia and
Ctenocella confirm the prevalence of shallow
marine environment. Similar observations have
been reported along the west coast of India and
 SACHIN & SARATH : RELICT BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA INDICATOR OF SEA LEVEL CHANGES 1947

coast of Myanmar in Andaman Sea, suggesting environment and age of sediments for present
presence of coral reef in geological past6, 7. study. Panda et al.20 dated carbonaceous matter
Amphistegina sp., Operculina sp., Calcarina sp. from Gopalpur- Malud area at a water depth of 52
and Aveolinella sp. found in the study area are m, shows an age of around 10,690±120yr BP
considered as a typical fauna of coral reef matches with the observation of the present study.
environment8. Based on the published age data the average rate
The existence of sclerites in the study of sea level rise during the period (8,900 to
area at 65m, 80m, 90m and 110m depth, suggest 13,600 year) was approximately 1.5 cm/ year19.
lowest sea level stand during Last Glacial
Maxima (LGM). Singh and Swamy9 has compiled
all the reports of low sea level stand including
heavy mineral enriched sand, peat bed, oolites,
carbonate sand and carbonate buildups providing
strength to the present study. Reef features
observed under thin layer of sediments at depth
approximately 60m and 110m water depth, as
similar observation was also noticed in the study
of Rao, K. M and Rao, T C S10. Occurrence of
relict fauna and coral sclerite at this depth in
study area support postulation of low sea stand.
Different species of soft corals produces different
form of sclerites at different depth and it serves as
tools for assigning sea level. Modern day corals
exist both in temperate and tropical shallow
waters. Where, tropical coral do not grow at water
depth of over 50 meter11. But in the study area,
coral assemblages noticed below 80 to 110 meter
water depth within relict sand body indicates rise
in sea level.
Study of the earlier researcher12,13,14,15
around the world, revealed the fact of Last Glacial
Cycle around 35 ka yrs B P and it reached 122m
below present sea level about 20-18ka B P, from
here begins with the warming of the global
Plate 1- (scale bar = 0.33 mm): 1- Calcarina sp. 2 &5- Coral
climate which ultimately led to the transgression. sclerites. 3- Alveolinella sp; 4-Ammonia beccarii. 6- Relict
This event was followed by slighter cooler phase Quinqueloculina sp. 7 Reworked Coral polyp. 8- Reworked
at 8690 yrs BP12, during this period the sea level Amphistegina sp.
was 76- 80 m below the present day sea level and
it ended with the rise in sea level and it reached Sea level rise postulation is not only
its present level about 6 ka yrs. BP. Then further, supported by the coral reef environment but also
there was rose of sea level by at least 4.7m and it the interpretation based on facies study and clay
was followed by cooler phase12, which lowered mineralogy of sediment column, revealed
the sea level to about 2.7m above the present sea episodic sea level changes. Low Chlorite to Illite
level. Moreover the study area is characterized by ratio found in the down-core sediment column in
a series of regressive and transgressive sequences, present study reveals that the palaeo-climate and
which carried the signal of climatic changes and environment of deposition would have been very
sea level oscillations in form of relict sand bodies humid in nature, and influenced by strong
along with relict foraminiferal test at different monsoon during the sea level rise that happened
water depth along the coast. in the Inter-glacial period after LGM 21.
According to Rao and Rao10 regressive phase of
The interpretation by Rao et al.16, Rao, K. deposition was overlain by transgressive phase of
M. and Rao T C S 10, Vaz G. G17, 18, and Rana et sedimentation. These cycles of relative sea level
al.,19 on age and paleo-environment correlation changes might have been developed due to global
have been taken as reference to compare the paleo changes in sea level during late Pleistocene to
1948 INDIAN J. MAR. SCI., VOL. 46, NO. 10, OCTOBER 2017
Holocene and recent. Sea level oscillations have
left its imprints in the form of coast parallel
topographic highs (Aeolian sediments) in the
study area are suggested to be formed by
successive dunes building arid phase during LGM
and middle Holocene22, 20. Presence of many
epifaunal benthic foraminifera such as
Amphistegina sp., Quinqueloculina sp.,
Spiroloculina sp. and Bolivina sp., as nucleus of
the oolites both in surface as well as subsurface
samples at different horizons in the cores, implies
the prevalence of shallow marine environment.
Oolites grains are characteristic of shallow water,
high energy, hypersaline environment of
deposition and may be contemporaneous with the
low sea stand (Fig. 2). The presence of planktonic
foraminifer Sphaeroidinella dehiscens,
Globigerina bulloides, Globigerinoides ruber, Gs.
Sacculifer along with Globigerinella calida, Gr.
tosaensis and Gr. peripheroronda in the
sediments of the survey area provides a probable
age of Late Pleistocene to early Holocene 23, 24, 25.
Conclusion
Presence of anomalous sediments at
deeper isobaths (50,70 and 100m) like oxidized
sand, chunks of carbonate material with coral
fragments, relict benthic foraminifera, oolites, and
burrows over the submarine ridges indicate a very
shallow marine environment. Ferruginous and
oxidized surface of concretionary materials
confirms its exposure above sea level during
regression. Occurrence of relict foraminifera like
Amphistegina, Operculina, Calcarina and
Alveolinella at different isobaths suggesting the
periodic sea level rise during Late Pleistocene to
early Holocene. Presence of soft coral sclerites at
different water depth between 60 to 100 m
indicates episodic sea level changes. Sea level
oscillations has left its imprints in the form of
coast parallel topographic highs/ridges, traced
within the water depth range of 70 m to 80 m, 90
m to 96 m and 102 m to 110 m, which can be
termed as the palaeo-strandlines/beach ridges.
Presence of oolites, detritus and shallow water
biota at 70 m to 80 m and 125m isobaths indicates
the position of paleo sea stands. Planktonic
foraminifer such as Sphaeroidinella dehiscens
along with Globigerinella calida, Gr. tosaensis
and Gr. peripheroronda provides an age which
could be Late Pleistocene to early Holocene.
Acknowledgement
Authors are grateful to Deputy Director
General, ER GSI Kolkata and Dr. Amitava Lahiri,
Director, M&CSD Kolkata, for his guidance and
encouragement during this study.
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