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BIOTA IN THE TERMINAL PROTEROZOIC SUCCESSIONS IN INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: A REVIEW P.K. MAITHYa & GOPENDRA KUMARb aForme
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BIOTA IN THE TERMINAL PROTEROZOIC SUCCESSIONS IN INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: A REVIEW P.K. MAITHYa & GOPENDRA KUMARb a
Formerly, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany. F 2212, Rajaji Puram, Lucknow 22600, India
b
Formerly Geological Survey of India. 48 Pandariba, Old Kanpur Road, Lucknow – 226 004, India Email: [email protected]
The Terminal Proterozoic marine successions making up the lower part of the Supersequence IV (Shanker, et al., 1989) are known in many different parts of the Indian subcontinent (Fig. 1). In the Himalaya region these are referred to as the Baliana – Krol – Tal groups (Shanker, et al., 1993) in the Krol Belt, Lesser Himalaya, Macchal – the Lolab formations in Kashmir, the Batal – Kunzam La formations in Spiti-Zanskar, the Martoli Group in Kumaun (Kumar, et al., 1997), the Lum La Formation in Arunachal in the Higher/Tethys Himalaya (Kumar, 1997) in India, and the Singhi – Deshichiling – Maneting – Quartzite formations (Bhargava, 1995) in the Bhutan Tethys Himalaya. These sediments are also concealed under Cenozoic sediments of the Indo-Gangetic Plain (Maithy, et al., 198l) and are referred to as the Marvar Supergroup in peninsular western India (Kumar, et al., 1997). The sequences post-date a major tectono-thermal event associated with the Chengjiangian/Cadomian Orogeny in Neoproterozoic III and the Varangian Glaciation.
They were deposited in a new sea called Palaeotethys (Shanker, et al.,
2002). These successions rest on eroded older successions, which include the well-dated Malani Igneous Suite, the Malani Rhyolite at 745 + 10 Ma, the Siwana Granite dated at 731 + 14 Ma) in peninsular India, the Salkhala Group with granites of 745 + 50 Ma in Kashmir, the Simla-Jaunsar Group in the Krol Belt and the Jutogh Group in the Kumaun Himalaya. Sedimentation terminated
with the Xingkanian/Pan African Orogeny in the Late Cambrian. Successions are dominantly siliciclastic in the Higher/Tethys Himalaya, while those in the Krol Belt and the Marwar Supergroup are siliciclastic in lower part and show development of thick carbonate-evaporite facies, with or without phosphorite, in upper part. In the Krol Belt, the biota recorded includes cyanobacteria and acritarchs from the Blaini Formation, Ediacaran fossils in the Krol Group, which is conformably overlain by an Early Cambrian succession (the Tal Group) yielding trace fossils of the global Ichno-Zone III, small shelly fossils and stromatolites of the Meishucunian Zone and I & III (Tommotian), redlichid trilobites, microgastropods and inarticulate brachiopods of the Qiongzhusian (Atdabanian) and Tsanglanpuian (Botomian) stages (Kumar, 1984). The sequences in the Higher/Tethys Himalaya have also yielded trace fossils of Ichno-Zone I, II and III, and Early Cambrian (Tommotian) to Middle Cambrian trilobites and brachiopods. The record of other biota is poor, diagnostic trace fossils of Zone I are not known, so far, for precise demarcation of upper boundary of the Terminal Proterozoic (Raina, et al., 1983). The lower and upper boundaries of the Terminal Proterozoic are not defined precisely in the absence of biostratigraphically significant biota and radiometric dates. But, as per recommendations of the IUGS Working Group, the lower boundary is to be defined in the Lesser Himalaya at the base of the uppermost Pink Limestone in the Baliana Group even though there is significant depletion in
13
C values recorded in pink carbonate in the basal part. The Upper
boundary with the Cambrian cannot be ascertained in terms of GSSP due to absence of Cambrian Trace Fossil Zone – II, and Zone – III. However, a significant depletion in
13
C values
has been recorded in the upper part of carbonate facies of Krol Group between the horizons yielding Ediacaran fossils and Early Cambrian phosphorite bed containing small shelly fossils of the Meischucunian Zone – II in overlying Tal Group. This depletion has also been recorded in the Marwar Supergroup below the phosphorite bed, and can be correlated with that recorded from Precambrian-Cambrian transition sequences on the Siberian Platform, Anti Atlas Mountain, Morocco, China, and elsewhere.
BIOTA Significant remains of the biota are known from the Terminal Proterozoic sequence in India, except in the Marwar Supergroup. This biota is characterised by the appearance of the Ediacaran metazoan fauna, calcareous algae, conophytonoid and gymnosolonid stromatolites and the development of evaporite and phosphate deposits.
1. Himalaya: (a) Lesser Himalaya Ediacaran Biota: (Mathur and Shanker, 1989,1990; Shanker and Mathur, 1992; Shanker, et al., 1997, in press): Recorded forms are: Pterinidium sp. cf. P. carolinaense and Charnodiscus sp. cf. C. arboreus, Beltanelliformis, Medusinites, Tirasiana, Cyclomedusa, Beltanella, Sekwia, Iridintus, Kimberella, Nimbia sp. cf. N. occlusa, cf. Dickinsonia and Conomedusites.
Organic-Walled Microfossils Baliana Group (Dhaundiyal and Moitra, 1987; Joshi, et al., 1988; Acharyya, et al., 1989, Venkatachala, et al., 1990; Prasad, et al., 1990; Tiwari and Azmi, 1992; Tiwari and Knoll, 1994; Maithy, et al., 1995, Shukla, et al,. in press). Recorded forms are from black chert nodules and silicified shales of the uppermost unit in the Baliana Group referred to as the Infra Krol.
Acritarchs: Sphaeromorphida: Leiosphaeridia crass, L. effusa, Margominuscula simplex, Granomarginata
primitiva;
Sphaerohystrichomorphida:
Baltisphaeridiutn
perrarum,
Gorgonisphaeridium maximum, Trachyhystrichosphaera vidalii, Tasmanititae: Paracrassosphaera dedalea, Microconcentrica incrustata, Germinosphaera unispinosa, Micrhstridium echnuatum, M. regulare, M. eatonensis, Archaeohystrichosphaeridium cellulare, A. semireticulatum. Cyanobacterial remains (Cryptarch): Synaplomorphitae: Hurniospora microreticulata, Globophycus rugosum, Tetraphycus hebeiensis, Eomicrocystis malgica, Bavlinella faveolata, Satka colonialica, Nematomorphitae: Siphonophycus sepatum, S. robustum, S. rugosum,
Eophormidium orculiformis, Melanocyrillim hexodiadema and a new genus Blaintella Maithy et al. 1995. According to Shukla, et al., (in press), the OWM assemblage compares with that found in assemblages world over in Vendian. Of these, Trachyhystrichosphaera vidalii is prediversification of Ediacaran fauna and restricted to sediments which post- date Varangian glaciation. Stromatolite. Stratifera undata Komar (Sharma et al. 1994).
Krol Group Acritarch (Prasad, et al., 1990, Kumar and Rai, 1992). Sphaeromorphidae group (Protosphaeridium, Leiosphaeridium, Vavosphaeridium, Favosphaeridium, Orygmatosphaeridium and Symplassosphaeridium, Kildinosphaeridium and Margominuscula. The assemblage also includes smooth and unprocessed acritarchs. Algae. Vendotaenid algae occur in the argillaceous unit of the Mahi Formation from the Korgai, Nigalidhar and Garhwal synclines (Tewari, 1988, 1999; Mathur, 1990a; Ravi Shanker et al. 1991). Kumar and Rai (1992) recorded filamentous forms comparable to Eomycetopsis Schopf, Siphonophycus Schopf, and Obruchevella Reitlinger along with coccoid forms represented by acritarch and spheroid colonies resembling living cyanobacteria Microcystis Kutzing. Calcareous algae Renalcis sp. and Epiphyton sp. are also known in the Upper Member of the Kauriyala Formation present in the Mussoorie Syncline (Singh and Rai, 1983, 1984). Renalcis was earlier known from the Lower Member of the Kauriyala Formation of the Nainital Syncline (Gansser, 1974). Stromatolites (Fuchs and Sinha, 1974; Singh and Rai, 1977; Tewari, 1984). Linked Conophyton (Conophyton garganicus, Baicalia baicalia, Colonella sp.), Stratifera irregularis, Paniscollenia, Patomia, Aldania and Irregularia and branching stromatolites. Trace Fossils: Gordia sp., Bilinichnus biserialis and Ichnogenus ‘A ’ have been reported.
Higher /Tethys Himalaya Organic Walled Microfossil (Maithy, et al., 1988): Protosphaeridium, Granomarginata, Lophosphaeridium,
Kildinellasphera,
Gloeocapsomorpha,
Gunflintia,
Palaeosiphonelle,
Eomycetopsis. Trace fossils (Raina, et al., 1983): Of the four assemblages, the assemblage-I (Planolites beverleyensis – P. reticulatus) in association with Skolithos and Burgauria from the Razdain Member, Lolab Formation, Kashmir has been assigned to Terminal Proterozoic.
2. Indo-Gangetis Plain: The Terminal Proterozoic sequence is now known from the Preunconformity sequence of Ganga Basin (Shukla, et al., 1994). Acritarchs include Sphaeromorphida,
Protosphaeridium,
Orygmatosphaeridium,
Kildinella,
Nucellophaeridium, Zonosphaeridium, Leioligotriletum and fungal bodies (Maithy, et al., 1983), and latest Vendian – Early Cambrian forms assigned to an acritarch assemblage identified as Lophosphaeridium rarum Zone (Prasad, et al., 2001). This assemblage is marked by first appearance of microsculptured Sphaeromorphs, Lophosphaeridium and tiny acanthomorphs? Miccrhystridium associated with Kildinosphaera, Bavlinella, Vandalosphaeridium and Trachysphaeridium.
3. Peninsular Region. The evidence for the Terminal Proterozoic System is lacking from the greater part of Peninsular India, except in northwestern India (the Marwar Supergroup). The oldest platform sediments ranging in age from the MesoproterozoicEarly Neoproterozoic were deposited in an ancient sea referred to as the Prototethys (Shanker, et al., 2002). Until recently now, all previous evidences of the Ediacaran biota or the Terminal Proterozoic OWM have proven to be dubious (Maithy, 2003). The presence of Chuaria-Tawuia association from the youngest Bhander Group, Vindhyan Supergroup, Sirbu Shale Formation and Dholpur Shale Formation, Halkal Formation, Bhima Group and Owk Shale Formation, Kurnool Group indicates that these rock groups are older than the pre-Varanger Glaciation. The Halkal Formation was considered by
Das-Sarmaa, et al., (1992) to represent the Terminal Proterozoic, as they claimed the presence of Sabelliidites. Maithy and Babu (1996) doubted this identification, as the fossil was a carbonaceous impression and lacking chitin. The specimen was identified instead as Tawuia. The stable carbon isotope values for this rock sequence ranges from + 1.2 to 3.4 PDB in the Bhima Group. Furthermore, Maithy and Babu (1996) obtained OWM from the layer dominated by the simple acritarch Leiospheridia, known to occur in the marine sediments ranging from 1000-900 Ma. Azmi (1998), noted the presence of brachiopods and small shelly fossils in the Rohtasgarh Formation, the Semri Group, the Vindhyan terrain exposed in Badanpur section (near Maihar, Madhya Pradesh) and the Ramdhira Quarry section (near Rohtasgarh, Bihar). Based on this he suggested that the Vindhyan Basin sedimentary sequence spans the Terminal Proterozoic to Early Palaeozoic. This claim was disputed by several geologists and palaeontologists who did not accept the biogenic nature of reported “fossils” (Bhatt, et al., 1999; Bhatt, 2003). They also pointed out significant inaccuracies with regard to field observations associated with the fossil reports. The absence of Terminal Proterozoic sediments is also supported by the OWM from the younger succession of Vindhyan Supergroup. The assemblage is dominated by sphaeromorphida acritarchs, dominated by Leiosphaeridia. Ornamented sphaeromorphid acritarchs are extremely rare. However, in the Bhander Group the Late Proterozoic forms Sphaerocongregus, Polytrichoides and Obruchevella are known. Evidence from stromatolites also supports a Terminal Proterozoic age for these rocks. In younger formations of the Vindhyan and Chattisgarh, stromatolite assemblages include BaicaliaTungassia-Inzeria, known elsewhere in Early Neoproterozic associations (Maithy, 2003),
Paleontologic data do not support extension of the Palaeotethys sea south of SonNarmada Lineament during Terminal Proterozoic – Cambrian time. The non-deposition of Terminal Proterozoic sediments in the greater part of peninsular India is due to uplift and regression of Prototethys Sea brought about by the Chengjiangian/Cadomian Orogeny
(Shanker, et al., 2002).
Marwar Basin (Nagaur Basin) Stromatolites (Barman, 1980); Collenia psendocolumanaris, Collenia sp, Concollenia, Cryptoxoan accidentalis, Irregularia sp. and Stratifera are recorded from the Bilara Formation of the Marwar Supergroup.
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