Journal of Geological Society of India (Online archive from Vol 1 to Vol 78)

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Early Miocene Shell Concentration in the Mixed Carbonate-Siliciclastic System of Kutch and their Distribution in Sequence Stratigraphic Framework


Affiliations
1 Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai - 400 076, India
     

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The Early Miocene succession of Kutch represents a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic depositional system. The carbonate part of the succession, characterized by high abundance of shallow marine benthic fauna, hosts typical shell concentrations (also referred as shell beds). The thickness of shell concentrations vary in scale from 5 cm to 100 cm and are separated by poorly fossiliferous to barren silty shales/siltstones. Based on taphonomic and sedimentological observations, shell concentrations are classified as lag, event, composite/multi-event and hiatal types. The occurrence of different types of shell concentrations in the background of sequence stratigraphic framework is the main theme for the present study. Overall, the shell concentrations occupy the middle part of the sequence i.e. upper part of the transgressive systems tract and lower part of the highstand systems tract. Lag concentrations are found in the lower part of the sequence while composite concentrations, the major contributors in the sequence, occur in upper part of the transgressive systems tract and in the lower part of the highstand systems tract. The hiatal concentrations are associated with maximum flooding surface while the position of event concentrations is independent of sequence stratigraphic framework. The shell concentrations occupy marine flooding surface or marine ravinement surface, thus mark parasequence boundaries.

Keywords

Shell Concentration, Mixed Carbonate-Siliciclastic System, Systems Tract, Early Miocene, Kutch, Gujarat.
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  • Early Miocene Shell Concentration in the Mixed Carbonate-Siliciclastic System of Kutch and their Distribution in Sequence Stratigraphic Framework

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Authors

Pramod Kumar
Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai - 400 076, India
Pratul Kumar Saraswati
Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai - 400 076, India
Santanu Banerjee
Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai - 400 076, India

Abstract


The Early Miocene succession of Kutch represents a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic depositional system. The carbonate part of the succession, characterized by high abundance of shallow marine benthic fauna, hosts typical shell concentrations (also referred as shell beds). The thickness of shell concentrations vary in scale from 5 cm to 100 cm and are separated by poorly fossiliferous to barren silty shales/siltstones. Based on taphonomic and sedimentological observations, shell concentrations are classified as lag, event, composite/multi-event and hiatal types. The occurrence of different types of shell concentrations in the background of sequence stratigraphic framework is the main theme for the present study. Overall, the shell concentrations occupy the middle part of the sequence i.e. upper part of the transgressive systems tract and lower part of the highstand systems tract. Lag concentrations are found in the lower part of the sequence while composite concentrations, the major contributors in the sequence, occur in upper part of the transgressive systems tract and in the lower part of the highstand systems tract. The hiatal concentrations are associated with maximum flooding surface while the position of event concentrations is independent of sequence stratigraphic framework. The shell concentrations occupy marine flooding surface or marine ravinement surface, thus mark parasequence boundaries.

Keywords


Shell Concentration, Mixed Carbonate-Siliciclastic System, Systems Tract, Early Miocene, Kutch, Gujarat.

References