The Magnitude of Hiatus and Sea Level Changes Across KIT Boundary in Cauvery and Krishna-Godavari Basins, India

A Major hiatus of varying time span ofiess than 1 Ma to greater than 30Ma encompasses the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary (KTB) in several parts of the Cauvery, Krishna-Godavari (KG) and other pericratonic basins of India. The succession in the north and northeastern parts of Cauvery basin is apparently continuous, whereas in other areas of this basin, either the sediments of Late Maastrichtian or Middle-Late Maastrichtian or even Middle Campanian-Maastrichtian are unrepresented due to erosion/nondeposition. A north-northeasterly tilt within the Cauvery basin with some tectonic blocks subsiding is inferred during Late Maastrichtian. An additional event of global significance that occured across orvery close to the KTB in KG basin is volcanism within alimited duration of 3.8 to 5.5 Ma equivalent to Deccan volcanism. The succeeding transgression in Paleocene-Early Eocene was in pulses at levels ranging from Zone PI-P7. This hiatus appears to be linked with the rise of a giant hot mantle plume just prior to the eruption of Deccan volcanism during Abathompalus mayaroensis Zone of Latest Maastrichtian around 66.5Ma to 67.5Ma.