Record of a Stromatolite-Algal Mat Horizon in the Syringothyris Limestone (Lower Carboniferous), Liddar Valley, Kashmir

A prominent ca. 1.50 m thick unit of algal mat facies is recorded from the topmost part of the Syringothyris Limestone (Lower Carboniferous) showing development of well-defined columnar stromatolites. The columnar stromatolites are generally 4-8 cm long (maximum about 15 cm long), possessing a rugged outer margin showing sheathing; and often exhibit flattening and deformation of laminae near the top. The horizontal algal mat lamination exhibits thick laminae, some vuggy features, and bird's eye structure. Intertidal zone, with parts extending into supratidal, is inferred as the palaeoenvironment in this unit.