Jour, Indian Association of Sedimentologists, Vol. 33, Nos, 1&2 (2014-16), pp. 79-89 Organic Petrology and Depositional Environments of Lignites of Nagaur, Rajasthan, India [ALDx K. Sincit ano Alog Kus Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Rae Bareli-229316, India Email: singh @rgpt.ac.n;drsinghalokk@ gmail.com : Investigation of lignites of Eocene age from the Nagaur Basin, Rajasthan was undertaken to erie them petrographically and o discuss their evolution, These lignites are mostly dominated by 1 huminite group of macerals followed by liptnite and inertinite, According to microlithotype analysis es lignites may be characterized as humite rch followed by elarite and huminertte. Mineral matters were nainly represented by argillaceous mineral followed by pyrite, siderite and mareasite. The petrographic composition reveals that these ignites have originated from bog forest under ombrotrophic fo mesotrophic hydrological conditions. Gelificttion Index (Gl) and the Tissue Preservation Index (TPH), suggests an accumulation of peat in marshy environment and wet forest swamp, Keywords: Lignite, Nagaur Basin, Maceal, Microithotype, Paleoenvin INTRODUCTION In the present global scenario, coal is an important source of energy, in which the lignite is one of the coal type having low calorific value asa fossil fuel. Iis dark- brown to blackish-brown in colour, with moisture content ranges from 25% to 35 % and represents an intermediate stage in the alteration of wood into coal. Lignite deposits mostly occur in countries like Australia, China, Canada, Germany, U.S.A. Russia and India. The occurrence of lignite in India has been distinet according to their occurrence, age and depositional features with a strong, paleogeographic control, In India lignite occurs in western, northwestern, and the southern part of the country (Singh et al., 2010). In the western part of Rajasthan, large deposits of lignite present in the Tertiary formations of Lower-Middle Eocene age (Sahni et al, 2006; Joshi, 2007) in the Barmer, Jaisalmer and Nagaur Basins of Barmer, Jaisalmer and Bikaner-Nagaur districts, respectively (GSI, 2011). The area of western Rajasthan comprises one of the most important lignite bearing horizons of the country (Ex. Nagaur lignite is one amongst them). At present these lignites are mainly used for the power generation. The main objective of the study is to earry out the detail petrography and geochemistry of Nagaur lignites and to study the evolution of these lignites on the basis of petrography based depositional models (Teichmuller and Thomson, 1958; Hacquebard and, Donaldson, 1969; Von der Brelie and Wolf, 1981; Diessel, 1986; Hagemann and wolf, 1987; Kalkreuth and Leckie, 1989). (GEOLOGY AND STRATIGRAPHY OF STUDY AREA ‘The Bikaner-Nagaur Basin is a shallow basin, which is established due to Malani magmatism giving, rise to an intra-cratonie basin (Chauhan, 1999). It is structurally bordered by Delhi Sargodha Ridge in the north and northeast, Aravalli ranges in the east and southeast and in the south by Jodhpur-Chottan Malani Ridge. Nagaur district is occupied by the Delhi supergroup rocks (Lower to Middle Proterozoic) the Erinpura Granite, the Malani Igneous suite and the Marwar supergroup (Upper Proterozoic) and the alana Formation of Paleocene age (Table 1; Fig. 1). In the northeast part of the Nawa Area in Nagaur district Mangalwar complex of the Bilwara Supergroup represented as few outcrops of gneisses. Lignite deposits of the study area occur in Bikaner-Nagaur Basin in Tertiary age of Palana Formation, MATERIALS AND METHODS Lignite samples (40) have been collected from the ‘working faces of Matasukh mine (Seam No, 1) in Nagaur following by the pillar sampling method. The megascopic study of lignite samples has been done following the ICCP (1993) classification scheme and ‘macroscopic scam profile has been constructed. The lignite samples having the similar megascopic characteristics have been clubbed together as per the depth and form the composite band. The samples have been crushed and reduced in quantity with a quarter ‘conning method to prepare composite particulate lignite pellets and then subjected to detailed petrographic analyses. The study was carried out on an advanced petrological microscope aided with MSP 200