Genesis of Mesoproterozoic chert A case study from the Salkhan Limstone of the Vindhyan Supergroup and its implication on life in extreme conditions

Abstract

The research work for the Ph.D. thesis entitled quotGenesis of Mesoproterozoic chert: newlineA case study from the Salkhan Limestone of the Vindhyan Supergroup and its newlineimplication on life in extreme conditionsquot deals with a comprehensive study of newlinecyanobacterial microfossils preserved in the chert samples of the Salkhan Limestone newlineof the Semri Group, Vindhyan Supergroup, India. The petrographic studies of the newlinechert and carbonate samples were carried out along with the geochemical signatures newlineobtained through the X-Ray Diffraction Analyses of the chert and carbonate samples, newlinestable isotopes of the carbonate samples, Rare Earth Element analyses, and strontium newlineisotopes of the chert samples. The main objective of the research work embodied in newlinethe thesis is to explore the possible source of the silica, genesis of the chert, and to newlinestudy the life forms surviving in the extreme environmental conditions during the newlineMesoproterozoic period. newline