Stromatolites from Terminal Proterozoic Krol - Tal Sequence of Nainital Syncline, Lesser Himalaya and their Environment Interpretations
Authors
-
Atomic Mineral Directorate for Exploration & Research (AMD), Eastern Region, Khasmahal, Tatanagar, Jamshedpur - 831 002
Kaushlendra Kumar Sinha -
Atomic Mineral Directorate for Exploration & Research (AMD), Northern Region, West Block-7, R. K. Puram, New Delhi - 110 066
Dibakar Ghosh
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-021-1814-zKeywords:
No KeywordsAbstract
The terminal Proterozoic Krol-Tal succession disposed in a doubly plunging syncline of Nainital in the domain of Lesser Himalaya is an allochthon and forms the southernmost sub-basin of ca. 280 km linear belt comprising of six sub-basins. The mixed siliciclastic-carbonate sediments of the sequence show a wide spectrum of stromatolitic morphology, such as stratiform, laterally linked hemispheroids (LLH), columnar, domal and branching columnar, and other microbialites, such as thrombolites. These various morphological characteristics are result of a subtle balanced interaction among biological, hydrodynamic and sedimentation processes and have high potential for inferring different environments of their accretion. Among the five members of Krol Formation, viz. Krol A, Krol B, Krol C, Krol D and Krol E, the lowermost member, i.e. Krol A stromatolites represent a supratidal to intertidal environment, whereas Krol B stromatolites favour a supratidal zone of deposition. The stromatolite characteristics of intertidal environments marked with channels have been recorded from the Krol C member. A peritidal realm of deposition for Krol D member and a partly protected intertidal to upper subtidal zone for Krol E have been inferred. The lower Tal sediments were laid down in a supratidal to lower intertidal/upper subtidal environment. No stromatolite was recorded from the siliciclastic dominated upper Tal member that was deposited in supratidal to intertidal zones. The entire Krol-Tal stratigraphic succession is characterised by a repetitive shallowing-upward succession and the environmental interpretation based on the stromatolite morphometry is well in accordance with various observed sedimentary structures and sedimentological characteristics of the succession.
Downloads
Metrics
Issue
Section
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
References
Allwood, A.C., Walter, M.R., Kamber, B.S., Marshall, C.P., Burch, I.W. (2006) Stromatolite reef from the Early Archaean era of Australia. Nature, v.441, pp.714–718.
Allwood, A.C., Walter, M.R., Burch, I.W., Kamber, B.S. (2007) 3.43 billionyear- old stromatolite reef from the Pilbara Craton of Western Australia: ecosystem-scale insights to early life on Earth. Precambrian Res., v.158(3- 4), pp.198–227.
Allwood, A.C., Grotzinger, J.P., Knoll, A.H., Burch, I.W., Anderson, M.S, Coleman, M.L., Kanik, I. (2009) Controls on development and diversity of Early Archean stromatolites. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., v.106, pp.9548– 9555.
Altermann, W. (2008) Accretion, trapping and binding of sediment in Archean stromatolites- morphological expression of the antiquity of life. Space Sci. Rev., v.135, pp.55-79.
Andres, M.S., and Reid, R.P. (2006) Growth morphologies of modern marine stromatolites: a case study from Highborne Cay, Bahamas. Sediment. Geol., v.185, pp.319–28.
Auden, J.B. (1934) Geology of the Krol belt. Rec. Geol. Surv. India, 71, pp.407- 435.
Beukes, Nicolas J., and Lowe, Donald R. (1989) Environmental control on diverse stromatolite morphologies in the 3000 Myr Pongola Supergroup, South Africa. Sedimentol., v.36, pp.383-397.
Boggs, Sam Jr. (2006) Principles of sedimentology and stratigraphy (Fourth edition). Pearson Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 662p.
Bosak, T. Knoll, Andrew H., and Petroff, Alexander P. (2013) The Meaning of Stromatolites. Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci., v.41, pp.21–44.
Burne, R.V., Moore, L.S. (1987) Microbialites: Organosedimentary deposits of benthic microbial communities. Palaios, v.2(3), pp.241–254.
Coffey, J.M., Flannery, D.T., Walter, M.R., George, S.C. (2013) Sedimentology, stratigraphy and geochemistry of a stromatolite biofacies in the 2.72 Ga Tumbiana Formation, Fortescue Group, Western Australia. Precambrian Res., v.236, pp.282– 296.
Davis, R.A. Jr. (2012) Tidal signatures and their preservation potential in stratigraphic sequences. In: Davis, Richard A., Jr. and Dalrymple, Robert W. (Eds), Principles of Tidal Sedimentology. Springer.
Donaldson, J.A. (1976) Paleoecology of Conophyton and associated stromatolites in the Precambrian Dismal Lakes and Rae Groups, Canada. In: Stromatolites, M.R. Walter (Eds)., Developments in Sedimentology, 20, Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp.523–534.
Dopheide, Amanda K. And Winniger, Nicholas A. (2008) A Permian Stromatolite bioherm in South Dakota: Paleoenvironmental implications. Proc. S. Dakota Acad. Sci., v.87, pp. 311-324.
Dupraz C, Pattisina R, Verrecchia EP. (2006) Translation of energy into morphology: simulation of stromatolite morphospace using a stochastic model. Sediment. Geol., v.185, pp.185–203.
Flugel, Erik. (2010) Microfacies of Carbonate Rocks: Analysis, Interpretation and Application. 2nd edition, Springer, p.984.
Fuchs, G. and Sinha, A.K. (1974) On the geology of Nainital (Kumaun Himalaya). Himalayan Geol., v.4, pp.563-580.
Gansser, A. (1964) The geology of the Himalayas, Wiley-Interscience, New York, p.289.
Grey, Kathleen. (1989) Handbook for the study of stromatolites and associated structures (Second Draft) In: Kennard, J.M. and Burne, K.V. (Eds), Stromatolite Newsletter, no.14, pp.82-140.
Grotzinger, J.P. (2000) Facies and paleoenvironmental setting of thrombolitestromatolite reefs, Terminal Proterozoic Nama Group (ca.550-543 Ma), Central and Southern Namibia. Communs Geol. Surv. Namibia, v.12, pp.251-264.
Grotzinger, J.P. and Knoll, A.H. (1999) Stromatolites in Precambrian carbonates: Evolutionary Mileposts or Environmental Dipsticks? Ann. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci., v.27, pp.313-358.
Hoffman, P.F. (1976) Environmental diversity of middle Precambrian stromatolites. In: M.R. Walter (Ed), Stromatolites, Elsevier, pp.599- 611. Hofmann, H.J. (1973) Stromatolites: characteristics and utility. Earth-Sci Rev., v.9, pp.339-373.
Jiang, Giang., Christie-Blick, Nicholas., Kaufman, Alan J., Banerjee, Dhiraj M., and Rai, Vibhuti (2002) Sequence stratigraphy of the Neoproterozoic Infra Krol Formation and Krol Group, Lesser Himalaya, India. Jour. Sediment. Res., v.72(4), pp.524–542.
Johnson, J., and Grotzinger, J.P. (2006) Affect of Sedimentation on Stromatolite Reef Growth and Morphology, Ediacaran Omkyk Member (Nama Group), Namibia. S. African Jour. Geol., v.109, pp.87-96.
Kah, L C., Bartley, Julie K., Frank, Tracy D., Lyons, Timothy W. (2006) Reconstructing sea-level change from the internal architecture of stromatolite reefs: an example from the Mesoproterozoic Sulky Formation, Dismal Lakes Group, arctic Canada. Papers in the Earth and Atmospheric Science, Paper 100.
Knoll, Andrew H., Sarah Wörndle, and Linda C. Kah (2013) Covariance of Microfossil Assemblages and Microbialite Textures Across an Upper Mesoproterozoic Carbonate Platform. Palaios, v.28(7), pp.453–470.
Lasemi, Y., Jahani, D., Amin-Rasouli, H., and Lasemi, Z. (2012) Ancient carbonate tidalites. In: Davis, Richard A., Jr.and Dalrymple, Robert W. (Eeds), Principles of Tidal Sedimentology. Springer, pp.567-607.
Logan, B. W., Rezak R, Ginsburg, R.N. (1964) Classification and environmental significance of algal stromatolites. Jour. Geol., v.72, pp.68– 83.
Mathur, N.S. (1985) Implications of of bryozoans fauna from the Blaini of Nainital syncline on the stratigraphy of the Lesser Himalaya. Bull. Indian Geol. Assoc., v.18, pp.69-73.
Middlemiss, C.S. (1890) Geological sketch of Nainital with some remarks on the natural conditions governing the mountain slopes. Rec. Geol. Surv. India, v.21, pp.213-234.
Misra, S.B. (1984) Depositional environment of the Krol Group of the Nainital area and its impact on the stromatolites. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. (Earth Planet. Sci.), v.93(4), pp.447-464.
Noffke, N., Eriksson, Kenneth A., Hazen, Robert M., Simpson, Edward L. (2006) A new window into Early Archean life: Microbial mats in Earth’s oldest siliciclastic tidal deposits (3.2 Ga Moodies Group, South Africa). Geology, v.34(4), pp.253–256.
Petrov, Peter Yu. And Semikhatov, M.A. (2001) Sequence organization and growth patterns of late Mesozoic stromatolite reefs: an example from the Burovaya Formation, Turuhansk Uplift, Siberia. Precambrian Res., v.111, pp.257–281.
Pratt, B.R., James, N.P., Cowan, C.A. (1992) Peritidal carbonates. eds. Walker, R.G., James, N.P., Facies models Response to sea level change. Ottawa (Geol. Assoc. Canada). pp.303-322,
Semikhatov M.A., Gebelein, C.D., Cloud, P., Awramik, S.M., Benmore, W.C. (1979) Stromatolite morphogenesis- progress and problems. Can. Jour. Earth Sci., v.19, pp.992–1015.
Shanker, R. and Mathur, V. K. (1992) Precambrian–Cambrian sequence in Krol Belt and Ediacaran fossils. Geophytology, v.22, pp.25–36.
Shinn, Eugene A. (1983) Tidal flat environment. In: Scholle, Peter A., Bebout, Don G., Moore, Clyde H. (Eds.), Carbonate depositional environments, 33, AAPG Memoir, Oklahoma, USA. pp.171-210.
Singh, I.B. (1978) Sedimentological evolution of the Krol Belt sediments, In: Nautiyal, S.P. (Ed.), Himalayan Geology, Wadia Inst. of Him. Geol., Dehradun, v.8(2), pp.657-682.
Singh, I.B. (1983) A note on the nature of stromatolites of Krol sediments, Nainital, Kumaun Himalaya, with special reference to conophyton. Geophytology, v.13, pp.111-115.
Singh, I.B. and Rai, V. (1977) On the occurrence of stromatolites in the Krol Formation of Nainital area and its implications on the age of Krol Formation. Curr. Sci., v.46(21), pp.736-738.
Singh, I.B. and Rai, V. (1978) Some observations on the depositional environment of the Krol Formation in Nainital area, In: Nautiyal, S.P. (Ed.), Himalayan Geology, Wadia Inst. of Him. Geol., Dehradun, v.8(2), pp.633-656.
Sinha, K.K., Ghosh, D., Rai, S.D. and Khandelwal, M.K. (2016) Uranium Mineralisation in Carbonate Rocks from the Upper Part of Krol Formation in Nainital Syncline and its Significance for Uranium Exploration in Lesser Himalaya. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, v.88, pp.295-304.
Strasser, A. (1986) Ooids in Purbeck limestone (lowermost Cretaceous) of the Swiss and French Jura, Sedimentology, v.33(5), pp.711-727.
Tucker, Maurice E. and Wright, Paul V. (1990) Carbonate sedimentology. Blackwell sci. Ltd., 482p.
Valdiya, K.S. (1980) Geology of Kumaun Lesser Himalaya, Wadia Inst. Him. Geol., Dehradun, 287p.
Valdiya, K.S. (1988) Geology of and natural environment of Nainital Hills, Kumaun Himalaya, Gyanodaya Prakashan, Nainital, 155p.
Walter, M.R. (1977) Interpreting stromatolites. American Scientists, v.65, pp.563-571.
