Palaeoecological Analysis of Benthic Molluscs from the Eocene of Kutch, Gujarat Reveals an Event of Storm Induced Concentration of Shells in a Quiet Marginal Marine Environment
Authors
-
Department of Geology, Presidency University, 86/1 College Street, Kolkata – 700 073
Sayoni Banerjee -
Department of Geology, Presidency University, 86/1 College Street, Kolkata – 700 073
Shrestha Das
-
Department of Geology, Presidency University, 86/1 College Street, Kolkata – 700 073
Kalyan Halder
-
Department of Geological Sciences, Jadavpur University, Kolkata – 700 032
Niloy Chakrabarti
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-019-1285-7Keywords:
No Keywords.Abstract
The Eocene deposits of the Kutch basin are characterized by predominance of plane-laminated shales and low diversity mollusc faunas. These features reflect a low energy, restricted environment. A thin molluscan shell bed stands out in this backdrop because it produced a very diverse assemblage of bivalves and gastropods. Palaeosynecological analysis of the benthic mollusc assemblages from different stratigraphic levels of the Eocene of Kutch, including the shell bed, was carried out by testing for standard ecological models of rankabundance. The specific abundance data from the shell bed c onform to the log-normal model indicating stable, resource-rich environment. On the other hand, low diversity and often high abundance of opportunist species from other levels reflect harsh ecological conditions for molluscs. Analyses of habitat preferences and habits of the genera from the shell bed indicate shallow to very shallow shelf environment. It is inferred that this exotic assemblage of shells was brought in this quiet, restricted environment by storm surges from open part of the sea. High degree of shell fragmentation and high content of micrite matrix corroborate this interpretation.
Downloads
Metrics
Issue
Section
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
References
Agarwal, S., Verma, P., Rao, M.R., Garg, R., Kapur, V.V. and Bajpai, S. (2017) Lignite deposits of the Kutch basin, western India: carbon isotopic and palynological signatures of the early Eocene hyperthermal event ETM2. JOUR. Asian Earth Sci., v. 146, pp. 296-303.
Banerjee, S., Chattoraj, S.L., Saraswati, P.K., Dasgupta, S. and Sarkar, U. (2012) Substrate control on formation and maturation of glauconites in the middle Eocene Harudi Formation, western Kutch, India. Mar. Pet. Geol., v. 30, pp. 144-160.
Biswas, S.K. (1992) Tertiary stratigraphy of Kutch. Jour. Palaeontol. Soc. India, v. 37, pp. 1-29.
Catuneaune, O. and Dave, A. (2017) Cenozoic sequence stratigraphy of the Kachchh Basin, India. Mar. Pet. Geol., v. 86, pp. 1106-1113.
Chattoraj, S.L., Banerjee, S. and Saraswati, P.K. (2009) Glauconites from the late Palaeocene-early Eocene Naredi Formation, western Kutch and their genetic implications. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, v. 73, pp. 567-574.
Das, S. and Halder, K. (2018) Control of climate and Tethyan legacy on distribution of Paleocene–Eocene gastropods and establishment of the Northern Tropical Realm. Jour. Earth Syst. Sci., v.127, article 58, 15p, doi: 10.1007/s12040-018-0959-7.
Garg, R., Prasad, V., Thakur, B., Singh, I.B. and Ateequzzaman, K. (2011) Dinoflagellate cysts from the Naredi Formation, southwestern Kutch, India: implication on age and palaeoenvironment. Jour. Palaeontol. Soc. India, v. 56, pp. 201-218.
Halder, K. (2012) Cenozoic fossil nautiloids (Cephalopoda) from Kutch, western India. Palaeoworld, v. 21, pp. 116-130.
Halder, K. and Sinha, P. (2014) Some Eocene Cerithioids (Gastropoda, Mollusca) from Kutch, western India, and their bearing on Palaeobiogeography of the Indian subcontinent. Paleontol. Jour., Article ID 673469, 11 p., doi: 10.1155/2014/673469
Halder, K. and Bano, S. (2015) Cenozoic Corbulidae (Bivalvia, Mollusca) from the Indian subcontinent - palaeobiogeography and revision of three species from Kutch, India. Arab. Jour. Geosci., v. 8, pp. 2019-2034.
Hammer, O., Harper, D.A.T., Ryan, P.D. (2001) PAST: Paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontol. Electron., v. 4, 9p., http://palaeoelectronica.org/2001_1/past/issue1_01.htm.
Hammer, O. and Harper, D.A.T. (2006) Paleontological Data Analysis. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, UK, 351p.
Kachhara, R.P., Devi, K.B. and Jodhawat R.L. (2011) Molluscan assemblage from the marine Palaeocene sequence in southwestern Kachchh, Gujarat. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, v. 78, pp. 81-91.
Keller, G., Khozyem, H., Saravanan, N., Adatte, T., Bajpai, S. and Spangenberg, J. (2013) Biostratigraphy and foraminiferal paleoecology of the early Eocene Naredi Formation, SW Kutch, India. Geol. Soc. India Spec. Publ., no. 1, pp. 183-196.
Magurran, A.E. (1988) Ecological Diversity and its Measurement. Princeton University Press, Princeton, 178p.
Mukhopadhyay, S.K. and Shome, S. (1996a) Depositional environment and basin development during early Palaeogene lignite deposition, western Kutch, Gujarat. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, v. 47, pp. 579-592.
Mukhopadhyay, S.K. and Shome, S. (1996b) Lithostratigraphy of pre-Fulra supratrappean (early Tertiary) sequence of NW Kutch-a reappraisal. Geol. Surv. India Spec. Publ., no. 20, pp. 39-48.
Peters, S.E. and Bork, K.B. (1999) Species-abundance models: an ecological approach to inferring paleoenvironment and resolving paleoecological change in the Waldron shale (Silurian). Palaios, v. 14, pp. 234-245.
Ravikant, V., and Bajpai, S. (2010) Strontium isotope evidence for the age of Eocene fossil whales of Kutch, western India. Geol. Mag., v. 147, pp. 473-477.
Saraswati, P.K., Khanolkari, S., Raju, D.S.N. and Banerjee, S. (2016) An Updated Eocene Stratigraphy of Kutch. Geol. Soc. India Spec. Publ., no. 6, pp. 25-31.
Saraswati, P.K., Khanolkar, S. and Banerjee, S. (2018) Paleogene stratigraphy of Kutch, India: an update about progress in foraminiferal biostratigraphy. Geodin. Acta., v. 30, pp. 100-118.
Sarkar, U., Banerjee, S. and Saraswati P.K. (2012) Integrated borehole and outcrop study for documentation of sea level cycles within the early Eocene Naredi Formation, western Kutch, India. Jour. Palaeogeogr., v. 1, pp. 126-137.
Sengupta, S., Syed, R., Sarkar, S. and Halder, K. (2011) Nummulites Lamarck (Foraminifera) as substrate for other benthonic taxa: A case study from the middle Eocene of western Kutch, Gujarat. Indian Jour. Geosci., v. 65, pp. 265-274.
Tandon, K.K. (1971) Occurrence of Venericardia beaumonti d'Archiac and Haime from Nareda, south western Kutch, India. Geophytology, v. 1, pp. 70-74.
