An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c20.s1.t3.25

v1.c20.s1.t3.25

15.1.4 *General observations on Pleistocene fauna*. No geological system in India has a more varied development than the Pleistocene which represents every aspect of the last chapter of earth's geological history. Keeping in view the fact that the Pleistocene deposits in the Indian subcontinent cover roughly an area of 5,00,000 sq km the quantity of the fossiliferous deposits is meagre. In the Himalayas the poor preservation of fossils or their absence in the post-Villefranchian deposits is on account of torrential rivers and high-energy environment while in peninsular India there are very few sedimentary troughs suitable for a better preservation of fossils. This is also due to strong erosive forces operating on the plateaux of the peninsula during vigorous monsoons.