The main Deccan volcanic province erupted mainly in terrestrial to
lacustrine environments of late Maastrichtian to early Paleocene age,
and lack age diagnostic fossils to accurately place the
Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary. As a result, the precise position of
the K-T event within the volcanic province has remained speculative, and
no realistic assessment of the biotic consequences of Deccan volcanism
at K-T time has been possible. Here, we report the discovery of early
Danian Zone P1a planktic foraminifera within lacustrine to
brackish-marine ostracod assemblages near Jhilmili, Chhindwara District,
India. These foraminiferal assemblages identify the K-T boundary in
intertrappean sediments bracketed by basalt traps that are regionally
correlative with C29R (Ambenali Formation) and the C29R-C29N transition
(Mahalabeshwar Formation). The Jhilmili sequence is thus correlative
with the shallow-marine, intertrappean Zone P1a assemblage and C29R and
C29N of the lower and upper basalt traps exposed in Rajahmundry
quarries. The presence of planktic foraminifera in predominantly
terrestrial intertrappean sediments some 800 km from the nearest ocean
suggests the presence of a seaway along the Narmada and Tapti rift zones
with Jhilmili located at the eastern margin.