Research Projects

Quaternary differs from other periods in its short period, the inadequacy of paleontology records, fragmentary nature of its depositional records, and unusual stratigraphic relation caused by the influence of geomorphic situation. Then climate is using a standard unit for subdivision. The Quaternary period constitutes an extensive sequence of climatic units composed of glacial and interglacial periods with the episode of the formation of the Arctic ice cap. Understanding the climatology of the region is very important to understand the local and regional climate change phenomena. The climate records needs for this are limited spatially as well as temporally. In view of this high resolution, proxy climate records are required to supplement the palynological data and weather records back to the past several centuries and millennium. The climate records of the pre-industrial period provide the best analogue for attributing anthropogenic impact on climate change. Many species of spores and pollen grains are known to preserve very old in the entire part of the world and provide the knowledge of climate, relative dating, geographical distribution, etc. Quaternary sediments extensively cover Manipur valley (Imphal) and Hills. The Manipur valley has a thick sequence of alluviums ranging from Pleistocene or Older to Recent. This Quaternary sequence is made up of clay, sand, gravel, pebble, boulder deposits of the foothills and older river terraces, dray grey to black clay, silt, and sandy deposits. The Quaternary alluvial deposits lie unconformably over the older group of rocks of the Dihing, Namsang, Tipam, Surma, and Barail. In Imphal Valley, they rest over the Disang and Barail groups. The proposal research project envisaged developing a late Quaternary climate and dating these sediments from the virgin areas of the Imphal valley, Manipur of North-eastern India, using integrated microfossils/palynology carbon dating and geochemistry.