Conodont Biostratigraphy of the Lower Triassic in Spiti Himalaya, India

Early Triassic sequence of about 30 m thickness is exposed at Lalung (Lilang) in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh. The sequence, traditionally defined by the Otocerus bed at the base and the Keyserlingites bed at the top, is biostratigraphically defined in this paper by eight successive conodont zones, which in the ascending order are: Neogondolella orientalis - N. subcarinata Assemblage Zone, Neospathodus kummeli Zone, Neospathodus dieneri Zone, Neospathodus cristugalli Zone, Neospathodus pakistanensis-Neogondolella nepalensis Assemblage Zone, Neospathodus waageni Zone, Neogondolella elongata Zone and Neospathodus timorensis Zone. These conodont zones are delineated on the basis of data from Lalung, Mud (Muth), Guling (Kuling) and Spiti River sections in the Spiti valley.