Name:
Dr. M. R. Rao
Present Address:
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany
53 University Road, Lucknow- 226 007
Present Position:
Scientist – F
Contact:
rao.mr2008@gmail.com
Field of specialization: Palaeopalynology, Biostratigraphy and correlation and
palaeoecological interpretations of Palaeogene and Neogene and Quaternary
sediments of India.
Ph. D Title: Palynostratigraphy of Tertiary sediments of Sonapur - Badarpur
Road Section, Lower Assam
Membership in scientific societies:
Life member
-
The Palaeobotanical Society, Lucknow
Life member
-
The Palaeontological Society of India, Lucknow
Life Member
-
LUBDAA, Lucknow
Life Member
Member
-
The Geological Society of India, Bangalore
International Palynological Congress (IPC)
Thesis supervised : Analysis of palaeovegetation and palaeoclimate of
Quaternary sediments of central Narmada Valley,
Madhya Pradesh.( Awarded Ph.D to Dr Poonam
Verma from Lucknow University, Lucknow)
Thesis under supervision: High resolution biostratigraphy and depositional
environment of Tertiary
lignites and associated
sediments of western India (D S Seetharam, BSRS,
BSIP, Lucknow) .
Sponsored projects completed:/ Analysis of palaeovegetation and
palaeoclimate of hominin bearing Quaternary sediments of central Narmada
Valley, M. P. (DST Project No.SR/S4/ES-138/2005)
DST Project- Monsoon intensification and Neogene-Quaternary Siwalik Biodiversity
(M.R.Rao Co-PI; Dr Rajeev Patnaik, Project Investigator, DST
Project
No.
SR/S4/ES/171-2005).
Recent visit to abroad: Under the INSA Exchange of Scientists Programme
between INSA, New-Delhi and CAS, Beijing, visited the Institute of Botany,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China for a period of 27 days between
9th October to 4th November, 2011.
Research Experience: 35 years and 3 Months
Scientific Work-done:
Specialized in the field of Tertiary and Quaternary
35
palynology and have
years research experience at the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany,
Lucknow. The main pursuits of my study have been morphotaxonomy of sporepollen,
establishment
of
palynostratigraphy
and
palaeoclimatic
and
palaeoenvironmental interpretations. My expertise particularly relates to
palynology, palynostratigraphy and palaeoecological interpretations
of
Cretaceous-Tertiary and Quaternary sediments of India. The important
basins worked out in India are:
1. Meghalaya-Assam (Oligocene to Early Miocene)
2. Kerala Basin (Early Eocene to early Miocene)
3. Cauvery Basin (Late Albian to Early Miocene)
4. Maharashtra (West coast lignites, Early Miocene)
5. Kartnataka (Early Miocene)
6. Himachal Pradesh (Siwaliks, Middle Miocene to Pliocene)
7. Haryana (Siwaliks, Middle Miocene to Early Pleistocene)
8. Central India (Hominin bearing Quaternary sediments, Late Pleistocene
to Late Holocene)
9. Cambay Basin (Vastan Lignite Mine, Early Eocene......continued)
10. Kutch Basin (Palaeocene to Early Miocene....continued)
At present, working under the Institute project (5.1) entitled “ High
resolution biostratigraphy and depositional environment of Tertiary
sedimentary sections of Kutch, western India” under XII Five year plan
(2012-2017).
LIST OF PUBLICATIONS
1.
Rao, M. R. 1983. A new record of
Malayaeaspora costata Trivedi,
Ambwani & Kar from the Tertiary sediments of Meghalaya and Assam.
Geophytology 13 (2): 241-242.
2.
Singh, H.P & Rao, M. R. 1984. Surmaspora, a new pteridophytic spore
genus recovered from the Tertiary sediments of Meghalaya and Assam.
Curr. Sci., 53 (15): 803-805.
3.
Saxena, R. K. & Rao, M. R 1984. Palynology of Barail (Oligocene) and
Surma (Lower Miocene) sediments exposed along Sonapur Badarpur
Road Section, Jaintia Hills (Meghalaya) and
Cachar (Assam). Part. I
Dinoflagellate cysts. Jour. Palaeontol. Soc. India. 29: 52 - 62.
4.
Rao. M. R, Saxena, R. K.& Singh, H. P. 1985.
Palynology of Barail
(Oligocene) and Surma (Lower Miocene) sediments exposed along
Sonapur Badarpur Road Section, Jaintia Hills (Meghalaya) and Cachar
(Assam). Part. V. Angiospermous pollen grains. Geophytology 15 (1): 7
– 23.
5.
Rao, M. R. 1986. Palynology of Barail (Oligocene) and Surma (Lower
Miocene) sediments exposed along Sonapur Badarpur Road Section,
Jaintia Hills (Meghalaya) and Cachar (Assam). Part. IV. Gymnospermous
pollen grains. Geophytology 16 (1): 89 - 96.
6.
Singh, H. P., Saxena, R. K. & Rao, M. R. 1986. Palynology of Barail
(Oligocene) and Surma (Lower Miocene) sediments exposed along
Sonapur - Badarpur Road Section, Jaintia Hills (Meghalaya) and Cachar
(Assam). Part. II. Fungal remains. Palaeobotanist 35 (1): 93 - 105.
7.
Saxena, R. K., Rao, M. R. & Singh, H. P. 1987. Palynology of Barail
(Oligocene) and Surma (Lower Miocene) sediments exposed along
Sonapur-Badarpur Road Section, Jaintia Hills (Meghalaya) and Cachar
(Assam). Part. VI. Palynostratigraphic zonation. Palaeobotanist 35 (2):
150-158.
8.
Rao, M. R. & Singh, H. P. 1987. Palynology of Barail (Oligocene) and
Surma (Lower Miocene) sediments exposed along Sonapur - Badarpur
Road Section, Jaintia Hills (Meghalaya) and Cachar (Assam). Part. III.
Pteridophytic spores. Palaeobotanist 35 (3): 267 - 280.
9.
Singh, H. P., Rao, M. R. & Saxena, R. K. 1987. Palynology of the Barail
(Oligocene) and Surma (Lower Miocene) sediments exposed along
Sonapur - Badarpur Road Section, Jaintia Hills (Meghalaya) and Cachar
(Assam). Part. VII. Discussion. Palaeobotanist 35 (3): 331 - 341.
10.
Saxena, R.K., Singh, H. P. & Rao, M. R. 1987. Palynology of the Tatrot Pinjor sequence exposed between Masol and Kiratpur in Ambala district,
Haryana. Geophytology 17 (2): 270 - 284.
11.
Rao, M. R. 1990. Palynological investigation of Arthungal bore -hole,
Alleppey district, Kerala. Proceedings "Vistas in Indian Palaeobotany"
Palaeobotanist 38 : 243 - 255.
12.
Singh, H. P & Rao, M. R. (1990). Tertiary palynology of Kerala Basin- An
overview. Proceedings “ Vistas in Indian Palaeobotany, Palaeobotanist
38: 256-262.
13.
Singh, H. P., Saxena, R. K. & Rao, M. R. 1990. Recycled Permian and
Cretaceous palynofossils from the Barail and Surma groups (Oligocene Early Miocene) in Jaintia Hills (Meghalaya) and Cachar (Assam).
Geophytology 20 (1): 41-44 .
14.
Rao, M. R. 1995. Palynostratigraphic zonation and correlation of the
Eocene - Early Miocene sequence in Alleppey
district, Kerala, India.
Review of Palaeobotany and . Palynol. 86: 325-348.
15.
Rao, M. R. 1995. Palaeoecological and stratigraphical significance of
pteridophytic spores in the Kerala Basin. Indian Fern Journal 12: 97104.
16.
Rao, M. R. 1995. Fungal remains from Tertiary sediments of Kerala
Basin, India. Geophytology. 24: 233-236.
17.
Rao, M. R. & Rajendran, C. P. 1996. Palynological investigation of Tertiary
lignite and associated sediments from Cannanore, Kerala Basin.
Palaeobotanist 43 (2): 63-82.
18.
Rao, M. R. 1996. An Early Miocene palynofloral assemblage from Turavur
bore-hole,
Alleppey
district,
Kerala-
its
palaeoecological
and
stratigraphical significance. Geophytology 25: 155-163.
19.
Venkatachala, B. S., Saxena, R. K., Singh, H. P., Kar, R. K., Tripathi, S.
K. M., Kumar, M., Sarkar Samir., Mandal, J., Rao, M. R., Singh, R. S.,
Mandoakar, B. D. & Ambwani, K. (1996). Indian Tertiary angiospermous
pollen: a critical assessment. Palaeobotanist 43 (2): 106-138.
20.
Saxena, R.K. & Rao, M. R. 1996. Palynological investigation of the
Boldamgiri
Formation
(Early
Miocene)
in
type
area, Garo
Hills,
Meghalaya. Geophytology 26 (1): 43-56.
21.
Rao, M. R & Nair, K. K. 1998. Palynological investigation of the Miocene
sediments exposed in Kannanellur-Kundara area, Quilon district, Kerala.
Geophytology 27 (1&2): 49-59.
22.
Rao, M. R. 2000. Palynological investigation of the Kherapara Formation
(Oligocene) exposed along
Tura-Dalu Road near Kherapara, West Garo
Hills District, Meghalaya. Palaeobotanist 49 (2): 293-309.
23.
Rao, M. R. 2001. Palynostrtigraphic zonation of the Tertiary sediments of
Kerala
Basin,
India.
In
Goodman,
D.K.,
and
Clarke,
R.T.(eds).
Proceedings of IX International Palynological Congress, Houston, Texas,
U.S.A 1996; American Association
of Stratigraphic Palynologists
Foundation, 277-289.
24.
Rao, M. R. & Patnaik, R. 2001. Palynology of the Late Pliocene sediments
of Pinjor Formation, Haryana, India. Palaeobotanist 50: 267-286.
25.
Mandal, J. & Rao, M. R. 2001. Taxonomic revision of tricolpate pollen
from Indian Tertiary. Palaeobotanist 50: 341-368.
26.
Rao, M.R (2003).
Sindhudurg
Kalviwadithyrites, a new fungal genus from
Formation,
Sindhudurg
District,
Maharashtra.
Palaeobotanist 52: 117-119.
27.
Rao, M. R(2004).
Palynological investigation of the Sindhudurg
Formation exposed at Kalviwadi, Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra, India.
Palaeobotanist 53: 123-135.
28.
Rao, M.R. (2005). Reworked Permian and Cretaceous palynofossils from
Miocene
sediments of Mangalore, Karnataka, India. Journal of
Geological Society of India 66:217-222.
29.
Rao, M. R (2005). Angiosperm pollen in stratigraphy with special
reference to Oligocene-Miocene sediments of south India. Gleanings in
Botanical Research Current Scenario, Ramachandra Reddy et.al
(Editors), Dattsons, J. Nehru Marg, Nagpur, India: 153-161
30.
Patnaik, R., Chauhan, PR., Rao, MR., Blackwell, BAB., Skinner, AR.,
Sahni, A., Chauhan, MS & Khan, HS (2009). New geochronological,
palaeoclimatological and palaeolithic data from the Narmada Valley
hominin locality, central India. Journal of Human Evolution: 56: 114133.
31.
Rao, M. R. 2009. Palynological investigation of Sellur bore-hole (ME-603),
Tiruvarur district, Tamil Nadu. Palaeobotanist. 58: 107-111.
32.
Poonam, V., Rao, M.R & Patnaik. R. 2009. Vegetation and climate of
Narmada hominins. In Asia Persptectives on Human Evolution,
Anthropological Survey of India.
New-Delhi. pp. 142-148.
Editors: A R Sankhyan, Serials,
34. Poonam V & Rao MR 2010. Climatic fluctuations during Holocene in
Kusumelli Swamp, central Narmada Valley, India. Curr. Sci. 99
(11): 1516-1518.
35. Verma P & Rao MR 2011. Quaternary vegetation and climate change in
central Narmada Valley: Palynological records from hominin bearing
sedimentary successions. Geological Processes & Climate Change
(Editors): DS Dingh and N L Chhabra. Macmillan Publishers
India. Ltd. pp: 71-84.
36. Dutta S, Tripathi SKM, Mallick M, Runcie M, Paul G, Rao MR & Roger, S
2011. Eocene out - of –India dispersal of Asian dipterocarps. Rev.
Palaeobot. Palynol., 166: 63-68
37. Prasad M, Rao MR & Khare EG 2011. Palynological investigation
of the Lower Siwalik (Middle Miocene) exposed at Koilabas,
western Nepal. Geophytology, 35: 47-53.
Papers Accepted for publication:
1. Rao, MR, Sahni, A, Rana, RS and Verma P. (2013). Palynostratigraphy and
deposition
environment of Vastan Lignite
(Early Eocene), Gujarat,
India.
Journal of Earth System Science
2. Verma, P and Rao, MR (2013). Modern pollen and vegetation relationship in the
Teak Deciduous Forest in Sehore District, Madhya Pradesh. Palaeobotanist.
Papers in press:
1. Rao, M R and Verma Poonam (In press)Palynological investigation of
Neogene (Early Miocene)
sediments of Mangalore Basin, India:
Palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic implications. Journal Geological
Society of India.