Geological Evolution

The geological time scale divides the total time span of earths 4.6 billion years of
existence into units and sub-units on the basis of rock records. It basically includes
four eras, such as, Precambrian, Palaeozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic. The eras are
subdivided into periods and the periods into epochs.
Precambrian is the longest era, encompassing about 85% of the age of the earth
and lasting from 4,600 million years to about 570 million years before the present.
The rocks of the era are mostly crystalline igneous and metamorphic types and
form the bases of sedimentary basins. Only very primitive types of life, mostly
unicellular organisms existed in the ocean during this time. Rocks of the
Precambrian era, mostly granite, granodiorite and gneiss, are found at a shallow
depth of about 150 to 300m in the northwestern part of Bangladesh in
the DINAJPUR and RANGPUR districts.
The Palaeozoic era lasted from about 570 million years to about 245 million years
before the present era. It is divided into six periods named, from older to younger,
as Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian. It is
known as the age of invertebrates because they were the predominant life form on
earth during that time. No rocks of the Cambrian to Devonian periods are found in
Bangladesh. However, the structural features created in the Carboniferous time in
the BENGAL BASIN are extremely epeirogenic in nature. During the Lower
Carboniferous time glacial condition prevailed in the Gondwanaland. In the Upper
Carboniferous time the continuous lateral tension and downwarping of the
continental crust resulted in the formation of a larger Palaeozoic interior sag basin
and due to the great diastrophism the Gondwanaland started to downwarped and
created faulted troughs in the Precambrian basement complex. In the Bengal Basin
these faulted troughs are present in the western FORELAND SHELF in which the
Gondwana rocks with COAL beds were preserved. The Carboniferous sediments in
the Bengal Basin are not yet recognised. But it is thought that the BOULDER bed at
the base of the GONDWANA GROUP might have been started to develop during the
Upper Carboniferous time.

During the Permian period large river basins with swampy and thickly vegetated
land existed in the northwestern part of Bangladesh. This resulted in the formation
of SANDSTONE, coal beds and shale layers that are now found in the subsurface in
the area. These coal layers form commercial coal deposits in northwestern
Bangladesh.
The Mesozoic Era lasted from about 245 million years to 66 million years before
the present. It is divided into three periods known as Triassic, Jurassic and
Cretaceous. It is known as the age of dinosaurs because of their dominance on land
during this time. Triassic rocks have yet to be found within Bangladesh. During the
Jurassic or Lower Cretaceous period a large volcanic eruption took place nearby
resulting in the deposition of volcanic rock layers in northwestern Bangladesh

particularly at Jamalganj, Shibganj and Bogra graben areas. These rocks are called
the Rajmahal Trap and consist of black coloured basalt that are now found in the
subsurface.
The Cenozoic Era runs from 66 million years to the present and is divided into two
periods named as Tertiary and Quaternary. The Tertiary period (66 million years to
2 million years before the present) is divided into five epochs named as
Palaeocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene and Pliocene. The Quaternary period is
divided into two epochs named Pleistocene and Holocene. Pleistocene is the early
epoch covered about 2 million years before the present and Holocene is the last
epoch, covered 10,000 years before the present. The Cenozoic era is known as the
age of mammals. Among the mammals, Elephus, Equs and Leptobos are the
important animals, which appeared during this period.
For Bangladesh, the most important one is the Cenozoic era, because most of the
sedimentary layers as well as the GEOLOGICAL STRUCTUREs of the country were
formed during this era. The Cenozoic tectonic evolution of Bangladesh mainly
took place at the end of the Eocene, Middle Miocene, close of the Pliocene and the
early Pleistocene. During the early Tertiary period (Palaeocene and Eocene epochs)
most of Bangladesh was under open marine condition, which resulted in the
formation of fossiliferous limestone and shale with some sandstone. During the
late Tertiary period (Oligocene, Miocene and Pliocene epochs) the open sea
retreated to the south in response to the uplift of the HIMALAYAS in the north and
river systems built out a large deltaic land that formed the backbone of the
present BENGAL DELTA. Huge successions of alternating sandstone and shale layers
now found on the surface and in the subsurface of eastern and southern Bangladesh
were formed in this DELTA environment during the Tertiary period.
With the beginning of the Quaternary period, the earth experienced severe cooling
and the advance of glaciers over the land. For this reason the Pleistocene epoch is
known as the ice age. During glacial periods SEA LEVEL fell down and during inter
glacials again rose up. Hominids or Homo sapiens, particularly, appearance of
modern man is the striking characteristic of the Quaternary. There is however, no
evidence of glacial deposits in Bangladesh during the Pleistocene time. But the
Himalayas were glaciated and the melt water was flowing over Bengal plain

through deeply incised river valleys towards the BAY OF BENGAL. Hence, by that
time, Bengal plain was acting like an outwash plain. In fact, Holocene alluvial and
Pleistocene fluvial deposits occupy three-fourths of the country. However, the
present course of the GANGES through Bangladesh seems to be a recent event. Most
of Bangladesh took its present shape during the Quaternary period and
a RIVER dominated geomorphic system was established. [Badrul Imam and Sifatul
Quader Chowdhury]