biology

Intertrappean Beds

Intertrappean Beds is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Intertrappean Beds rather than just read about it. In short: The Intertrappean Beds are a Late Cretaceous and early Paleogene geologic unit in India. These beds are found as interbeds between Deccan Traps layers, including the slightly older Lameta Formation.

Key takeaways

Intertrappean Beds belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Intertrappean Beds to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Intertrappean Beds from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Intertrappean Beds are a Late Cretaceous and early Paleogene geologic unit in India. These beds are found as interbeds between Deccan Traps layers, including the slightly older Lameta Formation. They consist a number of different subgroups and formations, and span the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary. Many mostly fragmentary fossils, especially of small vertebrates, are known from the formation. Indeterminate theropod and pterosaur remains have been recovered from the formation, as well as dinosaur eggs. The mammal genera Deccanolestes, Sahnitherium, Bharattherium, Indoclemensia, Indotriconodon and Kharmerungulatum have been recovered from several localities. The Early Eocene-aged Bamanbor locality in Gujarat preserves articulated freshwater fish specimens. A rich plant flora is known from the formation.

Stratigraphy Although often thought of as a contemporaneous unit that was formed in a single rapid eruption event, more studies that date the age of the volcanic beds indicate that the Deccan Traps did not erupt all at once. Instead, different portions appear to have erupted during different periods of time. This means that the Intertrappean Beds are best understood as a group of different volcanic-associate formations of varying ages.

Divisions Kale et al (2020) divided the group into the following provinces:

Sahyadri Group or Western Province (age: Late Maastrichtian to Danian, ~67.5 to 62.5 mya) Satpura Group or Central Province Malwa Group (age: Late Maastrichtian, ~67.7 mya; likely the oldest group) Amarkantak Group or Mandla Province (age: early Paleogene, ~64.5 mya - unknown) Mittal et al (2021) divided the group into the following provinces:

Western Ghats-Central Indian Volcanic Province (WVP) (age: Late Maastrichtian to Danian) Saurhastra-Kutchh Province (age: ?Maastrichtian to early Eocene) Malwa Plateau Province (age: Late Maastrichtian) Mandla Lobe Province (age: early Paleogene)

Formations

Chemostratigraphic definition Kale et al (2020) divided the group as follows. Subgroups/formations are classified based on oldest to youngest.

Wai Subgroup (youngest) Desur Formation Panhala Formation Mahabaleshwar Formation (~63.2 mya) Ambenali Formation Poladpur Formation Lonavala Subgroup Bushe Formation Khandala Formation Kalsubai Subgroup (oldest, ~67.5 mya) Bhimashankar Formation Thakurwadi Formation Neral Formation Igatpuri Formation Jawhar Formation

Lithostratigraphic definition Kale et al (2020) divided the group as follows. Subgroups/formations are classified based on oldest to youngest.

Sahyadri Group: Bombay Subgroup (~62.5 mya) Borivali Formation Elephanta Formation Khandala Subgroup (~67.5 to 63.2 mya) Mahabaleshwar Formation (~63.2 mya) Purandargarh Formation Diveghat Formation Karla Formation Indrayani Formation Kalsubai Subgroup (oldest: ~67.5 mya) Upper Ratangarh Formation Lower Ratangarh Formation Salher Formation Satpura Group: Karanja Formation (youngest) Buldhana Formation Chikli Formation Ajanta Formation Upper Ratangarh Formation Karanja Formation Buldana Formation Chikli Formation (oldest) Malwa Group: Singarchori Formation (youngest) Bargonda Formation Indore Formation Kankaria-Pirukheri Formation Kalisindh Formation Mandleshwar Formation Gaganwara Formation (oldest) Amarkantak Group: Kuleru Formation (youngest) Khamla/Kampla Formation Amarwara Formation Multai Formation Linga Formation Pipardehi Formation Dhuma Formation Mandla Formation (oldest, ~64.4 mya) Within the newly defined Saurhastra Group (age: Paleocene to early Eocene), the following divisions were found by Patel & Shah (2023):

Ninama Basin: Ninama Limestone (youngest) Sukhbhadar Formation (oldest) Chotila Basin: Bamanbor Formation (youngest) Chotila Chert Rangpar Formation (oldest)

Paleobiota

Fish

Otolith-based taxa

Amphibians

Reptiles

Turtles

Lepidosaurs

Crocodyliforms

Dinosaurs

Oogenera

Pterosaurs

Mammals

Arthropods

Mollusca

Flora

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Intertrappean Beds

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Intertrappean Beds claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Intertrappean Beds before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Intertrappean Beds ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Intertrappean Beds

In research: Intertrappean Beds appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Intertrappean Beds in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Intertrappean Beds is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, Danian Stage, Geologic formations of India, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Intertrappean Beds outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Intertrappean Beds in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Intertrappean Beds means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Intertrappean Beds out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Intertrappean Beds in simple terms?

The Intertrappean Beds are a Late Cretaceous and early Paleogene geologic unit in India. These beds are found as interbeds between Deccan Traps layers, including the slightly older Lameta Formation.

Why does Intertrappean Beds matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Intertrappean Beds?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Intertrappean Beds.